News Room

Latest news Drugs fall at police's feet as gang jailed for 52 years 13/04/2017 A drugs gang tried to dispose of evidence by hurling a slab of compressed cocaine out of a bedroom window during a police raid - but the £40,000 block landed right at the feet of a West Midlands Police officer! Police stormed the home in Hagley Road West, Quinton, last September following an eight-month undercover operation to monitor the movements of the drug crew. Caught by surprise, and in a desperate bid to distance themselves from the drugs, they tossed the house brick-sized block of cocaine out of a first-floor window. Unfortunately for them the drugs fell at the feet of an office…

Latest news WMPeople: Cybercrime Detective, West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) 14/04/2017 Undercover policing isn’t the reserve of ‘real world’ law enforcement: covert cops in the West Midlands are active online in the hunt for cyber criminals. Their remit to infiltrate crime gangs remains much the same. But while agents on the ground are seeking exchanges of drugs or illegal firearms, the digital detectives monitor trades of computer attack software or tips from gloating hackers. The West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) has a dedicated cyber-crime unit of specially-trained web investigators, analysts and intelligence experts. In t…

Latest news Group of Stourbridge friends jailed for 25 years after callous attack 14/04/2017 A group of Stourbridge friends who kidnapped a man and subjected him to a brutal and sustained assault in the summer of 2015 have been jailed for over 25 years following a three week trial. Asa Cartwright, aged 30, his sister Charlotte Cartwright, aged 23, her boyfriend Jak Skeldon aged 26, Ricky Green, aged 26 and Ashleigh Round, aged 24, were found guilty of offences including kidnapping, false imprisonment and assault on March 1st, following a three week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Their 25 year old victim was found wandering in Wassell Grove Lane, West Mercia …

Latest news Dawn arrests in M5 pursuit of suspected stolen car 13/04/2017 Three men were arrested by motorway police in the early hours of this morning (13 April) following a pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle along the M5. Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) picked up the Vauxhall Mokka – believed to have been stolen during a burglary on the Wirral in Merseyside – just before 6am heading northbound near Worcester. A stinger device was later deployed to deflate the car’s tyres but it still continued around the junction 2 roundabout and veered the wrong way down the southbound slip road before officers were able to bring it to a halt. The driv…

Latest news #CyberCops: Boss of hacked company warns of cybercrime threat 13/04/2017 The Managing Director of a company held to ransom by hackers has warned other bosses to protect themselves against cyber crooks – or run the risk of web sharks crippling their businesses. Stuart Kettell – owner of audio-visual specialist Kettell Video Productions – was targeted by tech scammers who infiltrated his firm’s IT systems with malware that infected its network of files. They demanded £1,000 initially in Bitcoins to decrypt the malicious software – and warned that failure to pay would render the files permanently inaccessible. Thankfully Stuart (pictured below with a memb…

Latest news Banned driver jailed following following police chase 12/04/2017 A disqualified driver - guilty of driving dangerously has been jailed for 20 months and banned from driving for over three years. Christopher Kennedy drove a blue Jaguar X-type and after seeing police he immediately accelerated in an effort to get away. He drove on the wrong side of the road and during his rampage, reached speeds of 90mph. The pursuit was abandoned for safety reasons and the car was found shortly after dumped on a driveway nearby. It had collided with a parked vehicle and had caused damage to a fence. CCTV and a mobile phone left in the vehicle were recovered which identi…

Latest news Man found guilty of stabbing former housemate to death 12/04/2017 A knifeman who repeatedly stabbed his former housemate to death in a Wolverhampton street has today (Wednesday 12 April) been convicted of his murder. Sivan Amin left old friend Gheorge Cozmiuc with multiple wounds in Carter Road before fleeing the scene in his car last September. The Audi was captured on CCTV and police officers quickly identified it belonged to Amin - despite him not being the registered owner. He was arrested from his new home in Merridale Street West, Wolverhampton, and blood belonging to his 23-year-old victim was discovered on the car’s accelerator pedal. A key to …

Latest news Force is praised for its overall performance in keeping communities safe and reducing crime 12/04/2017 West Midlands Police has been praised for its overall performance in keeping its communities safe and reducing crime. The positive endorsement follows the third annual overall assessment by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), which examines all 43 police forces across England and Wales and compares how effectively, efficiently and legitimately they are performing. The so called ‘PEEL’ reports are designed to give local communities information about how their local police force is performing in a number of important areas and is continuall…

Latest news Teens arrested over shop raid following armed police car stop 12/04/2017 Five teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of holding up shop staff with meat cleavers and a firearm after armed West Midlands Police stopped their suspected getaway car. Officers were alerted to the robbery at Co-Op in Overfield Road, Russells Hall, just before 10pm last night (April 11) that saw five masked men escape with cash, alcohol and cigarettes. Firearms units were deployed to the scene and, around 30 minutes later, forced a vehicle to stop in nearby Merryfield Road and arrested the five occupants. Three 17-year-olds – from Wednesbury, Kingswinford and Dudley – plus a…

Latest news Police appeal following machete attack 12/04/2017 Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a machete attack that left a Birmingham man with serious injuries. Officers were called to Carters Lane in Halesowen at just after 1.15am on Saturday 25 March following reports of a disorder outside the Old Crown Pub. A 22-year- old man was attacked with a machete, causing serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. [embedded content] Detectives are seeking a group of five or six black and white men who chased the victim out of the pub who are suspected of carrying out the attack. At this stage, officers believe that this was a…

Latest news West Midlands cybercrime team successfully targets website crashers 12/04/2017 A specialist cybercrime police unit established in the West Midlands just four years ago is already setting the national standard for online investigations – and helping bring to justice hackers intent on causing web mayhem. The role of cyber cops from the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) may fly under the radar but its work is proving vital in identifying potential website crashers and hackers. Its team of specialist detectives have played pivotal roles in some of the country’s biggest investigations into digital criminals, including a recent high-profile case targeting …

Latest news Appeal to trace vulnerable Coventry woman 11/04/2017 A UK-wide hunt has been launched to find a vulnerable Coventry woman who hasn’t been seen for four days. Glen Annette Campfield – who also uses the name Rowena – was last seen by her son on Friday evening (7 April). The 61-year-old is a paranoid schizophrenic and fears are increasing for her wellbeing as it’s suspected she may have stopped taking her medication. Coventry Police Sergeant Deborah Carson, said: “She has gone missing before and been found at seaside locations, including Scotland and Wales. We’ve been in contact with several police forces around the country in a bid to find Glen. “Sh…

Latest news Teacher convicted of sexually assaulting pupil 11/04/2017 A teacher from Wolverhampton has been convicted today (11 April) for touching a child inappropriately in a classroom. Thomas Lawrence, aged 27 from Wolverhampton, was charged with two counts of assaulting a child by touching, contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Lawrence was convicted after a four day trial and will be sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday 9 May. The court heard that Lawrence, who qualified as a teacher in 2015, abused his position of trust when he touched a child inappropriately in a classroom at the Sandwell school he was teaching at. At the time, the four…

Latest news Body found in search for missing Birmingham man 11/04/2017 Police searching for a missing Birmingham man have found a body. Officers discovered the body at around 1.30pm on 10 April after searches were conducted of the canal near Garland Street, Birmingham. The body is believed to be that of 71-year-old David Miles who has been missing from his Bordesley home since 1 April. His death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the coroner. David’s family have been made aware of the sad news. View the full article

Latest news Cyber Cops steering students away from the dark side 11/04/2017 Officers in a specialist West Midlands cybercrime unit are working with universities to train a new generation of digital security experts – and to steer tech-savvy students away from the Dark Web. The digital detectives have struck up partnerships with several higher and further education centres offering IT courses that include elements such as cyber security and ‘ethical hacking’. It’s seen them deliver workshops for undergraduates in which they discuss the legal and moral boundaries around web activity, explain how detectives go undercover online to catch cyber crooks, and stress the co…