Time, Date and Duration of Authority to Search
15.00hrs to 19.00hrs on 19/10/18
Area covered by Authority (Please attach any relevant maps)
Details of Authorising Officer
ACC Jones (8443)
Reason for Authority (Brief Summary for Publication)
The Town Centre area of West Bromwich has been subjected to consistent ASB , crime and disorder over the last few days/weeks.
On the 1st October there was disorder at Sandwell College, on the 2nd October the Dale End disorder was believed to involve youths connected to Sandwell College. Officers have been made aware that during the disorder on Monday 1st October a knife was taken off a non-student during the disorder. This was a 4inch curved hook dagger capable of causing significant injury if not a fatality.
Whilst on patrol during the afternoon of the 10th October local officer’s reported a large group of youths hanging around outside Sandwell College and the Farley Centre end of the town centre, the group of approx. 50 predominantly males surrounded officers being rude and abusive to the officers and members of the public. We will refer to this group now as a ‘risk’ group.
On 11 October, due to the previous day’s events a section 35 Dispersal Notice was authorised, as a result 2 arrests were made for public order offences both were part of the ‘risk’ group of males.
On Wednesday 17th October there was a call for service to the multi-storey car park where a group of males were beating up another male. On arrival all dispersed including the victim. CCTV showed males hiding a Stanley knife at the side of a bus stop outside the car park. This was recovered by security staff. This resulted in a Section 35 Dispersal Order being authorised from 15.20hrs to 21.20hrs on the 18th.
Yesterday 18/10/18 There was a fight between 2 females directly outside Sandwell College this was a separate incident but worth mentioning as this drew a large crowd of youths which officers struggled to disperse from the area. Some of these youths were the ‘risk’ males identified in recent weeks.
Today (log 1012 of 19/10/18) Town Centre Officers on foot patrol were made aware by members of the pubic that they believed that there was a group drug dealing in an alley off West Bromwich High Street as they had been seen passing items to each other. As officers approached the group they ran off. There were 8 in the group some of whom threw items under parked cars. These were recovered and were a knife steel (metal bar) and a claw hammer. Two of the group were detained and arrested for possessing offensive weapons. An officer has suffered a laceration to his hand in the struggle to make an arrest (not believed to be caused by a weapon). One arrested person has been searched and was in possession of a lock knife with a 4 inch blade. Both are part of the ‘risk’ group.
On speaking with one person in custody, he said that there were loads ‘tooled up’ because a gang was coming for a big fight in the town that afternoon involving College and Non-college youths.
Details of OIC (for contact or enquiries)
Insp Andrew Russell (1398)
After the Authorised Period
Number of Stop/Searches Carried Out Under the Authority
6
Outcomes of those Stop/Searches
6 x NFA
