News Room

Latest news Tributes paid to Kingswinford crash victim 19/05/2017 Tributes have been paid to a ‘loving husband and father’ who died in a Kingswinford collision earlier this week. James O’Brien, lovingly known as Jimmy, died when his car overturned on Ham Lane at the junction with Stallings Lane on Monday (15 May). The 28-year-old father of four was treated by emergency services, including the air ambulance, but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. In a statement his family said: "Jimmy, was very much loved by all that knew him. “He was a loving husband and father, a caring son and an amazing brother and uncle. He will be so deeply missed by all that knew him. …

Latest news Three men arrested following shooting in Sparkhill 19/05/2017 Police are investigating after a 22-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder on Braithwaite Road, Sparkhill at around 11.30pm last night (Thursday 19 May). Three men aged 25, 21 and 20 have been arrested in connection with the shooting. The 22-year-old was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition. Stratford Road at the junction of Bordesley Middleway and Braithwaite Road remains cordoned off this morning while forensic investigators carried out an examination. If anyone has any information about what happened, they are urged to contact police quoting log 2951…

Latest news Man charged with murder following Halesowen non-stop collision 18/05/2017 A Halesowen man will appear at court this morning (Thursday 18 May), charged with murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice after a man died in a collision in Cherry Road, Halesowen earlier this month. Benjamin Morse, aged 36, was killed on 1 May after he was hit by a dark coloured hatchback at around 12:15am. Unemployed Nidal Alboraiki, aged 21, from Halesowen, was charged last night (Wednesday 17 May) with murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He will appear at Dudley Magistrates Court later this morning. Five other men arrested in connection wi…

Latest news Roads ban for speeding driver involved in fatal crash 18/05/2017 A speeding motorist has been banned from driving following a crash in Birmingham last year that resulted in the death of a teenager. Stephan Russell, from Wood Lane in Streetly, was behind the wheel of a Kia Rio just after midnight on 16 September when he struck 18-year-old Daniel Horton who was riding his mountain bike in the road. West Midlands Police collision investigators were able to show Russell was driving at 44 miles per hour along Chester Road in Streetly - a stretch of road with a 30mph limit - at the point of impact. The 26-year-old admitted speeding and at Walsall Magistrates…

Latest news WMP Chief Officer talks science in pub lecture series 18/05/2017 Pub-goers across Birmingham and beyond have been discussing Darwin over darts and playing dominoes while talking Hawkins! Bars the length and breadth of Britain – plus many more on the Continent, Australia, Brazil and Japan – have been hosting talks designed to bring science to the masses. The Pint of Science series (May 15-17) sees experts delivery bite-size lectures in boozers on everything from the solar system and the chances of a meteorite strike to artificial intelligence and robots. And West Midlands Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Alex Murray pulled up a bar stool at The Woodma…

Latest news WMP backs national police memorial fund 17/05/2017 A campaign to raise funds for a national police memorial has been launched in Birmingham today (Weds 17 May) – and West Midlands Police has underlined its support for the project with a £5,000 donation. The fundraising push for a remembrance site at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire – to honour more than 1,400 police officers and staff who have died in the line of duty – will be announced at the Police Federation’s ICC conference. It’s hoped the memorial – which will cost an estimated £4-million and include a 50ft plaque with leaf-shaped apertures representing the lives lost – will be completed by…

Latest news New Chief Officer lands… via New York and Sudan! 17/05/2017 West Midlands Police’s new Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Boycott has arrived from Cheshire… via New York and Darfur! ACC Boycott has spent her 24-year career with Cheshire Police where she graduated from beat officer to become one of the most senior women in UK policing. But she’s also worked on two notable secondments during her time with the north-west force: one at Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, driving up standards in UK policing, and the other overseeing a UN police project in war-torn parts of Africa. The UN peacekeeping role − from 2006-08 − saw her manage the international…

Latest news WW2 bomb update: Aston Expressway could remain closed till tomorrow 15/05/2017 Aston Expressway is expected to be closed until tomorrow morning (Tues 16 May) while bomb disposal experts make safe an unexploded WW2 shell. Construction staff working at a site off Priory Road, Aston, came across the device during routine work at around 9.45am this morning − and it was quickly identified as a German shell weighing up to 500lbs. A 500-metre cordon was put in place on the advice of explosives experts which has enforced the closure of the A38 both into and out of the city. Some businesses and houses lying within the exclusion zone have been evacuated as a pre…

Latest news Area of Aston cordoned off after WWII device found 15/05/2017 An area of Aston has been cordoned off after an unexploded WWII explosive device was uncovered at a construction site in Priory Road today (15 May). Officers were called around 9.45am following the discovery; after consultation a 500m perimeter has been put in place as a precaution. This has meant that a number of businesses and houses in the area have been evacuated as a precaution and the A38 Aston Expressway has been closed in both directions. It is understood that some train services will be affected as the train lines run parallel to the A38. The EOD have been informed and are en route…

Latest news Man jailed for stealing cars while posing as prospective buyer 13/05/2017 A man who posed as a prospective car buyer to steal vehicles during test drives − leaving some owners injured in the road after they clung desperately to the car − has been jailed for nine years following a West Midlands Police investigation. Adam Bodycote, from Beech Road in Wednesbury, targeted motorists who’d listed cars with online sales sites including eBay and Gumtree. He struck 12 times between 5 December last year and 8 February at addresses in the Black Country and used a range of tactics to distract sellers before speeding away in cars including BMWs, Mercedes and Audis.…

Latest news Police charge men in connection with Black Country robberies 14/05/2017 Police investigating a spate of robberies at shops across the Black Country have charged a number of men. James Taplin, aged 30, from Hawthorn Road, Tipton, has been charged with seven robbery offences at One Stop shops in Dudley and Sandwell, seven counts of possessing an offensive weapon and one charge of cultivating cannabis. Martin Rollason, aged 30, from Albionfield Drive, West Bromwich, is charged with six robbery offences and six counts of possessing an offensive weapon. Both have been remanded in custody to appear before Dudley Magistrates Court Monday 15 May. In a separa…

Latest news Running in the family: rookie cop is latest in five generations to join WMP! 14/05/2017 A student officer is following a long-standing tradition after becoming the fifth consecutive generation of his family to join the police force in the West Midlands. The McWalter name has been synonymous with the region’s policing for more than 100 years, fulfilling roles from Beat Bobbie to Chief Inspector. So it’s no surprise that Adam McWalter was inspired to follow in their footsteps by joining the latest West Midlands Police training cohort. The 27-year-old new recruit, who previously worked as a Police Community Support Officer, is due to complete the force…

Latest news Nine arrested following football match at The Hawthorns 13/05/2017 Police arrested a total of nine people during last nights’ West Bromwich V Chelsea match at The Hawthorns. Seven men were arrested for pitch incursion, all have been charged and bailed. Two other men were arrested, a 35-year-old man from Solihull for public order and a 32-year-old man from Suffolk for criminal damage and assault- both have been bailed while enquiries continue. Chief Inspector Nick Rowe from the force’s operations unit said: “Overall it was a great evening match with an intense atmosphere, the majority of fans were really well behaved and enjoyed the game, with only rela…

Latest news Police arrest 8 men in connection with Black Country shop raids 13/05/2017 Police have arrested a number of men in relation to a spate of shop robberies across the Black Country. Six men were arrested in Wellington Road Dudley yesterday (Friday 12 May) in connection with a number of robberies at Spar outlets across Sandwell and Dudley, in which cash, cigarettes and spirits have been stolen. The men, aged between 18 and 54, were detained in a vehicle by armed officers at 5.30pm, in connection with a raid on an off-licence in Priory Road, a short time earlier. Four of the men are being questioned on suspicion of robbery and two on suspicion of assisting a…

Latest news Police appeal for missing Birmingham man Steven O'Gara 12/05/2017 Police in Birmingham are very concerned for a vulnerable man who went missing from his home in Hockley yesterday (Thursday 11 May). Steven O’Gara, aged 38, has not been seen since leaving his home on Park Avenue, Hockley at midday; he has not been in contact with family and they are worried for his safety. Steven has learning difficulties and is currently suffering from an acute physical illness that requires immediate and urgent medical attention. Both police and his family are extremely concerned about his whereabouts. We urgently need to trace him to make sure that he is safe and get …