News Room

Latest news Police support additional safety measures at Birmingham's Christmas market 22/12/2016 West Midlands Police is supporting additional security measures set to be put in place by Birmingham City Council to bolster safety at Birmingham’s German and Frankfurt Christmas market. Barriers will be installed on Temple Street and Bennetts Hill today in addition to the concrete bollards that were put in place at a number of locations several weeks ago. The extra measures have been brought in following consultation with the local authority, emergency services and local businesses after the attack at the Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening. Police are keen …

Latest news Police appeal for help to trace missing man from Erdington 21/12/2016 Police are searching for an Erdington man who has not been seen since last Friday (16 December). Oliver Ward, 48, was due to see his sister on Sunday (18 December) but failed to turn up. Mr Ward is described as white, 5ft 7ins tall, of slim build and has a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a green parka coat and blue jeans. He has a number of tattoos including one on his upper right arm that says "mom" and the letters A.B, and AVFC on his left hand. PC Asim Abbasi said: “We are extremely concerned for Oliver’s welfare, and we need to trace him urgently to check that he is safe a…

Latest news Police urgently appeal for help to trace missing Hall Green pensioner 21/12/2016 Police in Birmingham are appealing for help in finding an 85-year-old woman who has gone missing from her home in Hall Green this afternoon (21 December). Gwen Jackson, was last seen at around 1pm today at her home in Cateswell Road, Hall Green. She suffers with diabetes and urgently needs to take her medication. Concerns are growing for her safety and police are seeking her whereabouts. Gwen is described as white, 5ft 1ins tall, medium build with short wavy white hair. She was last seen wearing brown trousers, a beige coat, glasses and carrying a fold up metal walki…

Latest news Brothers plea on 20th anniversary of missing Chelmsley Wood boys David Spencer and Patrick Warren 21/12/2016 Lee O’Toole was just nine years old when his brother David Spencer went out to play with his friend Patrick Warren on Boxing Day 1996 and never returned. Now as the 20th anniversary of the boys’ disappearance nears, Lee is hoping someone will come forward with fresh information about what happened to his brother and friend that Christmas. Lee, now aged 29, and a father himself, still suffers nightmares about the day his brother David, then aged 13, disappeared from his home in Chelmsley Wood, with 11-year-old Patrick Warren. [embedded content] …

Latest news Five men convicted of child sexual exploitation 21/12/2016 Five Coventry men have been convicted of a string of sexual offences and human trafficking against young girls after a six week trial at Leamington Justice Centre. The jury returned a unanimous verdict today (Wednesday 21 December) after hearing how the gang, led by 24-year-old Waqaar Khan, used social media over a period of months to contact teenage girls and groom them before arranging to meet them with the promise of gifts and shopping trips. Six teenage girls, five of them under the age of 16, gave evidence to the court detailing how they had been targetedwhich included being picked up by …

Latest news Coventry engineer pleads guilty to terrorism offences 21/12/2016 A Coventry engineer has today (21 December) pleaded guilty to sending money to fund his brother who is currently fighting in Syria with Daesh. Nadeem Hussain, aged 35 from Threadneedle Street, Coventry, admitted three counts of being concerned in arrangements to make money available for the purposes of terrorism, when he appeared at Kingston Crown Court. Hussain admitted sending £4,000 to fund his brother Naweed Hussain who is believed to have joined Daesh after travelling to the conflict zone in June 2015. The cash was sent via a money transfer bureaus in Coventry over a period of thre…

Latest news Life jail for knife attacker who struck in Coventry street 21/12/2016 A man has been jailed for life over the “motiveless” murder of a Coventry man who was stabbed moments after leaving a pizza take-away. Liam McGerrigan was fatally stabbed after being confronted by two men on a church car park in Holyhead Road, Coventry, on 9 June. Joseph Johnson (pic top), of no fixed address, had admitted manslaughter at an earlier hearing but following a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court was found guilty of murder yesterday (20 Dec) and jailed for 25 years. The court heard how 27-year-old Liam and a friend were walking towards their car having visited a …

Latest news The handbags and the glad rags that a dodgy cashier had to steal to buy 20/12/2016 A crooked accountant fleeced her Birmingham boss of more than £300,000 and splashed the money on designer clothes and bags. Julie Sexton-Blythe (pictured) diverted cash from a savings account at Hockley firm Reliable Stamping between February 2015 and January this year. And when her scam was uncovered by West Midlands Police she claimed she needed the feel-good spending fix to help deal with losing a loved one in a car crash five years earlier. Bosses raised the alarm in January after a series of payments to two particular suppliers had all but drained company reserves. …

Latest news Police response following tragic events in Berlin last night 20/12/2016 Following the tragic events In Berlin last night, we are reviewing our police response and increasing visible patrols where required to provide reassurance to those visiting, working and living in Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands. We have detailed policing tactics and security measures in place to protect the public, which are being reviewed on a daily basis. We’re asking everyone to remain vigilant but not alarmed and report any suspicious activities to police on the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline - 0800 789 321 -in an emergency call 999. Suspicious activity is an…

Latest news Prolific thief will spend Christmas behind bars 20/12/2016 A woman who committed a string of thefts in Birmingham city centre will be spending Christmas behind bars after police put a stop to her crime spree. Ann O’ Halloran, aged 35, stole coats, handbags and mobile phones in the run up to the festive season, targeting people on public transport and in restaurants across the city. In one case, on 16 September this year, she climbed all over a male victim who was travelling on the number 10 bus from the city centre, before stealing his phone and hiding it in her bra. When confronted by other passengers she secretly passed the phone to a female accompl…

Latest news Cruel thieves stole Christmas – but they can’t take festive spirit! 20/12/2016 Festive spirit is shining bright after West Midlands Police joined Birmingham residents in restoring some Christmas cheer to a kind-hearted pensioner. Heather Maxim was left devastated after thieves stole a glistening 7ft Christmas tree and nativity sets just yards from her Ladywood home. Every year the 75-year-old uses money raised through bring and buy sales to fund a community Christmas display – but on December 10 heartless thieves swiped the festive fir and nativity scene. However, the community rallied round to donate not one but two replacement trees and arrange a f…

Latest news Police warning as bike louts sent to youth offenders institute 19/12/2016 Two bike louts caused traffic chaos as they performed stunts on a busy Solihull road – and left a woman with a broken foot when one lost control and careered into her. Sejjad Al-Ghabban (20, pic left) and 18-year-old Mostafa Yazdani appeared in court today (Mon 19 Dec) and were both sent to a youth offenders’ institute. Birmingham Crown Court heard how the pair brought traffic to a standstill as they raced each other and darted between vehicles in Station Road, Dorridge, on 10 July. Witnesses describe seeing Al-Ghabban pull a wheelie over a distance of about 100-metres before Yaz…

Latest news Police name man who died in knife attack 19/12/2016 Detectives have named a man who was fatally stabbed at the weekend as Ibrahim Ismail. A murder inquiry was launched after the 23-year-old was found outside the Raxo Shisha lounge on Moseley Street, Highgate at around 3.30am on Saturday 17 December. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. A forensic post mortem examination revealed he died as a result of receiving stab wounds to his chest and back. Detective Inspector Paul Joyce, from West Midlands Police’s Homicide Team, is leading the investigation and continues to appeal for information. He said: "We are still piecing together the circumstan…

Latest news Man aged 101 sentenced to 13 years for historic sexual abuse 19/12/2016 A 101-year-old man has become the oldest person to be jailed for a criminal offence in UK legal history after a West Midlands Police investigation uncovered his shocking child abuse past. Retired lorry driver Ralph Clarke systematically sexually assaulted two young sisters in the 1970s and early 80s. He abused the girls - who were aged between four and 13 at the time - at his home in Erdington, in the cab of his works truck, and in his garden shed. His victims plucked up the courage to report the offences to West Midlands Police in August last year having seen Facebook posts celeb…

Latest news National acclaim for police project to cut anti-social behaviour 18/12/2016 An innovative West Midlands Police project to steer young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) has received national acclaim. The early intervention programme was launched by Tipton neighbourhood police team last year and has so far helped 80 youngsters. And its success in keeping kids out of trouble has now been recognised with a Community Champions award at the Houses of Parliament. The scheme sees officers nip low level ASB - like throwing eggs at windows, abusive language and drinking alcohol - in the bud by speaking to youngsters and their guardians bef…