News Room

Latest news Police appeal following fatal collision in Pelsall 18/09/2016 Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision involving a motorcyclist in Pelsall last night. The collision happened in Hall Lane at the junction with Norton Lane and Vicarage Road, around 10.10pm on Saturday 18 September. A 34-year-old man suffered fatal injuries after his motorbike was in collision with a delivery van. Specially trained officers are supporting the man’s family- he is not being named at this stage. Anyone with information should contact CIU_GENERAL@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk or call 101. View the full article

Latest news Police office’s pilgrimage to remember fallen Somme colleague 18/09/2016 A West Midlands Police officer has travelled 700 miles to remember a fallen colleague he’s never met… one of the bravest of the brave killed at the Somme. Wolverhampton Police PC Henry George Kidd signed up with the First Battalion Grenadier Guards at the outbreak of World War I. He was cut down by machine gun fire on 16 September 1916 during a Somme offensive and later succumbed to his wounds in a field hospital. Modern day Wolverhampton Police Sergeant Andy Padmore paid his respects on Friday (16 Sept) by laying a West Midlands Police wreath at the grave in La Neuville British …

Latest news Witnesses sought as cyclist left in critical condition 17/09/2016 Police are appealing for witnesses after a cyclist was seriously injured in the early hours of Friday 16 September. The 18-year-old was hit by a red Kia Rio on the Chester Road, Streetly just after 12.30am. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition. The 25-year-old driver of the car was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and has been released on police bail while enquiries continue. Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the regional Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw w…

Latest news Dirty work but we’ve got to do it! Actress’ purse found in street bin by officers 17/09/2016 An actress has given a standing ovation to West Midlands Police officers who found her purse − swiped as she prepared for a premiere − after rummaging through bins in Coventry city centre. Chloe Edwards-Wood was left devastated when her iPhone and purse containing a precious family photo were stolen on September 5 just hours before she was due on stage in Roll Over Beethoven at the Belgrade Theatre. Officers tracked her phone to the Counden Road area and the home address of prolific thief Paul Grattan. A search of his flat revealed the handset on top of a bedr…

Latest news WMP targets cycle ‘close pass’ drivers in UK policing first 16/09/2016 Cycling groups have praised West Midlands Police for becoming the first force in the country to proactively target "close pass" drivers who endanger riders. Rules of the road stipulate motorists should give cyclists at least the same space as vehicles when overtaking. Anyone encroaching inside that safe passing distance − widely considered to be a minimum of 1.5 metres − runs the risk of being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention. Now West Midlands Police has launched an operation that sees officers saddle up on some of the region’s busiest routes − including Hag…

Latest news Police search for missing Walsall teen 16/09/2016 Police are appealing for information to help trace a teenager who has gone missing from her home in Walsall. Abigail Taylor, 16, was last seen by her mother at their home in Well Lane, Blakenhall on Sunday 11 September at 10:15am. She was reported missing yesterday (Thursday 15 September), and officers have since been searching the local area. They are now appealing to anyone with information of her whereabouts to contact them. She is described as white, around 5ft 1ins tall, she has very long wavy brown hair, which was in a bun. She wears glasses and was last seen wearing a white blouse, grey waistcoa…

Latest news Coventry crime lord ordered to pay back more than £1 million 16/09/2016 A Coventry crime lord - who was a key architect of prolific Black Country criminal John Anslow’s escape from a prison van – has been ordered to pay back more than £1 million of dirty money. Stuart Reid sent Anslow a coded message letting him know about the break out and was subsequently jailed for six years for his involvement in the plot. Well known for running nightclubs in the city in the 80s and 90s, Reid is also currently serving an additional 16 years behind bars for heading up a drugs supply gang and a £127,000 fraud. But when the criminal cases against him concluded in 20…

Latest news Man jailed for the attempted murder of Birmingham teenager 15/09/2016 A man who repeatedly stabbed a teenage girl during a frenzied attack in Birmingham has been jailed for 30 years. Tony Comerford left the 16-year-old with multiple injuries to her body at an address in Kitts Green on 29 September last year. The 42-year-old then set fire to the property and fled the scene, leaving his victim to crawl outside, where she was found lying in the street by passers-by at just after 10pm. Emergency services were called and Comerford was arrested by detectives in the early hours of the next morning. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries before bein…

Latest news Behavioural science: Innovative WMP projects aim to ‘nudge’ down crime 15/09/2016 A reformed criminal is reaching out to detainees from ‘beyond the cell wall’ in an innovative behavioural science project aimed at cutting crime and reoffending rates. The force is working with a team of psychologists and academics on trials aimed at ‘nudging’ members of the public to behave in ways designed to cut crime, support recruitment drives and improve efficiency. One of the initiatives has seen an ex-offender − a man with a string of convictions in his youth for drug and fraud offences − pen words of advice to people who find themselves locked up in a West Midla…

Latest news Georgie gets locked up for charity 14/09/2016 A leading fundraiser was locked up by West Midlands Police - to collect cash for a charity which has stolen the hearts of the public. Shocked Georgie Moseley was put behind bars on Tuesday (13 September) in aid of Help Harry Help Others which funds support for cancer sufferers, their families and research to cure the disease. The Birmingham-based HHHO charity was launched by 11-year-old Harry Moseley - while he was battling a brain tumour - in 2009 and collected more than £500,000 before his passing in 2011. His mother Georgie has continued the fundraising drive and West Midlands Police Sergeant Julie Roge…

Latest news Robber convicted of killing businessman Akhtar Javeed 14/09/2016 A man has been convicted of manslaughter for his involvement in an armed robbery at a warehouse in Birmingham city centre during which a respected businessman was shot dead. Suraj Mistry - convicted of manslaughter, conspiracry to commit robbery and possession of firearms Suraj Mistry, 26, was part of a gang which travelled from Derby on 3 February this year to raid Direct Source 3 on Rea Street South in Digbeth. He and 18-year-old Lamar Wali targeted a cash-and-carry run by 56-year-old Akhtar Javeed, who was working on the evening of the robbery along with five other members of staff. …

Latest news ‘Cop Swap’ card craze set to sweep Birmingham schools 14/09/2016 A West Midlands Police card craze is expected to sweep Birmingham’s primary schools as the force re-launches its Top Trumps-style collection game. ‘Cop Swaps’ sees around 6,000 eight to 11-year-olds challenged with collecting a full house of cards caricaturing neighbourhood police officers in the Perry Barr constituency, plus some ‘Active Citizens’ in the local community. Each one features Top Trumps inspired ratings for officers – including marks for Rank, ‘Police Power’ and Speed – plus a safety, respect or anti-violence message that youngsters must relay to local bobbies in order to win…

Latest news City centre club gunman jailed for 14 years 14/09/2016 A gang member who shot at rivals outside a Birmingham nightspot has been jailed for 14 years after West Midlands Police officers found a handgun on his kitchen worktop. Fabian Williams (pictured), who has links to the Johnson Crew, fired a single bullet from the revolver in the early hours of 13 March this year minutes after leaving city centre club Beorma . CCTV shows Williams involved in a disturbance at around 3.45am before discharging a shot that sends revellers diving for cover. Despite the seriousness of the incident in Fleet Street it was not reported to West Midlands Police at the time. …

Latest news Birmingham murder victim named 13/09/2016 A Birmingham man killed in Washwood Heath on Saturday night (10 September) has been officially named as 22-year-old Zakir Nawaz. The results of a post mortem have revealed that he died from a single stab wound to the chest. Just 10 days before his death, Zakir became a father for the second time to a daughter. He also leaves a two-year-old son and his wife, Georgia, who has spoken of her loss: "Our family has been left heartbroken as a result of Zakir ’s murder. Zak was a loving husband, father, son and brother. I was his queen and Zak was my world. “Zak was a fantastic father and although I will ensure tha…

Latest news Two adults and two children hurt in Stourbridge hit-and-run 12/09/2016 Police are trying to trace the driver of a red Ford Focus C-Max after four people were injured in a hit and run outside a school in Stourbridge this morning (12 September). The two women and two children – a boy and a girl, both aged three - were on Hob Green Road just before 9am when they were struck. They were all taken to hospital to be checked over but thankfully were not seriously hurt. Enquiries are on-going to find the person who was behind the wheel and police are keen to stress the collision is not connected to the nearby school. Sgt Ross Treacy from Dudley Police said: …