Three men and a teenager were arrested last night as officers from our Sparkbrook impact team were assisted by our Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and dogs unit for a joint operation in a continued effort to tackle organised crime.
The intelligence-led operation ran into the early hours of this morning (28 August) and covered the Sparkbrook and surrounding areas, targeting gang nominals and high crime areas.
A teenager was arrested after officers attempted to stop and speak to him following some suspicious behaviour. He ran away but Police quickly tracked the 16-year-old down where he was found to be in possession of cannabis. He was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis and has since been released while our enquiries continue and referred to a young offender’s team.
Three other men, aged 19, 27 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs, with the youngest also being arrested on suspicion of breaching a gang injunction. All three men remain in police custody for questioning today.
Over the course of the operation, 11 people – who were known to the police and have links to gangs – were stopped and searched. A small quantity of cannabis was recovered and three Community Protection Warnings (CPOs) were issued.
Inspector Neil Kirkpatrick from Hall Green Constituency, said: “This was a great team effort from various departments within the force and we had a really successful evening in our continued effort to tackle violent crime in our community.
“A number of people were arrested, and even more stopped, searched and spoken to. This activity and our presence will undoubtedly have disrupted criminal activity.
“We want to continue to make Birmingham feel like a safe place and for members of the public to be reassured we are doing what we can to reduce these crimes.
“Today’s events were supported with information from our residents and we always encourage our community to contact us with any information.”