The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, has hailed the success of an intensive ‘Winter of Action’ in the West Midlands – attributing the operation’s impact to an unprecedented level of collaboration between West Midlands Police and local Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs).
The surge in activity, which saw more than 280 arrests and the dismantling of a £1.7 million cannabis factory, was part of a national Home Office initiative. It targeted the issues that matter to local communities: retail theft, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and drug-related crime across 34 locations in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Key highlights of the operation include:
- Tackling prolific offenders: Focused operations led to the arrest of high-harm individuals, including one shoplifter in Wolverhampton linked to 16 separate offences and two in Sedgley charged with 12 thefts each.
- Major drug busts: A massive £1.7 million cannabis farm was rumbled in a disused Walsall factory, while officers in Coventry seized over 200 wraps of Class A drugs.
- High-visibility reassurance: Hundreds of hours of additional patrols were conducted in hotspots. In Dudley alone, 272 hours of nightly patrols targeted high-rise buildings to curb anti-social behaviour.
- Removing weapons: Proactive sweeps and ‘knife arch’ deployments at transport hubs and shopping centres like Merry Hill resulted in numerous weapon seizures, including knives and a CS gas canister.
West Midlands PCC Simon Foster, who launched the policing operation in December, said: “This Winter of Action has sent a clear message: we will not tolerate crime and anti-social behaviour that strips our high streets of their vitality.
“By working with partners, we haven’t just made arrests; we’ve secured long-term civil interventions and rehomed vulnerable individuals to break the cycle of offending.
“I am committed to continuing to rebuild community policing to ensure an accessible, reassuring and visible presence out on the streets, to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and keep people, families, businesses and local communities safe and secure.”
In addition to enforcement, the initiative saw a major push for the PCC-funded Offending 2 Recovery (O2R) pathways, with 14 long-term offenders in Wolverhampton currently engaged in schemes to break the cycle of retail crime. In Sandwell, PCSOs successfully built relationships with homeless individuals, resulting in several being rehomed into secure accommodation.
Chief Superintendent Paul Joyce, West Midlands Police force lead for the Winter of Action, added: “The real strength of this campaign was the way the police and Community Safety Partnerships came together like never before. While our activity provided visible reassurance, it was this united front that gave the operation its weight and enabled us to tackle the root causes of local concerns.
“This was a true partnership success. We have learnt a great deal from this intensive period of collaboration, and we will be implementing those lessons into all our future initiatives to ensure we continue to make a real, lasting change in our communities.”
- About Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs): CSPs are statutory bodies introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. They are funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner and bring together local agencies to formulate and deliver strategies to tackle crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour (ASB), and substance misuse.
- Member councils: The West Midlands ‘Winter of Action’ involved collaboration with the seven metropolitan councils in the region: Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Council and City of Wolverhampton Council
- Statutory partners: In addition to local authorities and West Midlands Police, CSPs typically include West Midlands Fire Service, National Probation Services, and local health boards (Integrated Care Boards).
