August 2024
Street racing banned in the Black Country
Street racers beware!
Two men and a woman who organised illegal street racing in the West Midlands have been handed lengthy jail sentences in a major victory on our fight against the dangerous gatherings.
Read the full news release about the latest successful court case
Abandoned vehicles
Environmental Protection Officers have been investigating 218 reports of abandoned vehicles, which has led to a total of 45 vehicles being removed from the public highway. Of those vehicles, 27 were untaxed.
Walsall Road, West Bromwich
Rapid Response Operatives responded to reports of a fly tip in Walsall Road, West Bromwich where a homeowner had paid a man on Facebook to remove domestic waste from their property. The resident didn’t use or check that the person they used was a licensed waste carrier and could not provide the required paperwork; the homeowner was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £600 for failing in their Household Waste Duty of Care.
Roebuck Lane, Smethwick
Rapid Response Operatives responded to reports of a fly tip in Roebuck Lane, Smethwick where a homeowner had paid a man to remove general waste from their property. The resident didn’t use or check that the person they used was a licensed waste carrier and could not provide the required paperwork; the homeowner was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £600 for failing in their Household Waste Duty of Care.
Freeth Street, Oldbury
Rapid Response Operatives responded to two seperate fly-tipping incidents that occured in a hotspot area of Sainsbury's overflow car park in Oldbury. Bags of general household rubbish were dumped in the clothing recycling area. Upon investigating evidence provided by West Midlands Police, £1000 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued to both offenders.
Upgraded CCTV Updates
Sandwell Councils CCTV team have been making good use of new and upgraded CCTV cameras in Wednesbury and Friar Park. These cameras, installed as part of the Governments Levelling Up programme, have been key in responding to a spate of crimes across Wednesbury and we can report on a couple of positive outcomes.
Footage was captured by Sandwell Council cameras showing individuals breaking into properties in Wednesbury town centre. The footage captured by our control room operators was shared with police colleagues who later arrested two individuals who are suspected of being responsible for a spate of burglaries and a metal theft in the town. Police colleagues confirmed that they have arrested two people who were both charged and remanded to Court. Thanks were passed on to the CCTV team with police colleagues praising us for a really great result. Articles from the Express and Star below:
Two men arrested after spate of burglaries in town centre | Express & Star (expressandstar.com)
Our upgraded camera system at Friar Park has also been put to good use. Several individuals were observed behaving suspiciously and after some good camera work by control room staff Police colleagues were alerted. Arrests were made as a result of this partnership working that has seen individuals charged with a spate of thefts and robberies. Police colleagues passed on their thanks to the CCTV team with the one of the arresting officers stating the following.
“I would like to express my thanks to your CCTV control room who were instrumental in apprehending these offenders who have been committing some violent and nasty robberies across the borough of Sandwell. Without them and their help I have no doubt they would still be out committing these offences, so please pass on my thanks”.