Safer Annual Review 2011 - Reduce crime

Tackling crime

It has been a challenging year for fighting crime.

Crime often rises during times of economic difficulties, and we saw increases across the West Midlands during 2010/11.

The disorder that broke out on our streets in August 2011, including parts of West Bromwich and Smethwick, also required a strong partnership response from the police, council and others, together with the local community.

We stay firmly committed to bringing down crime.

Sandwell is still a much safer place than it was in the early 2000s, as shown by the graph and statistics below.

Although there was a 6.5% rise in overall recorded crime in 2010/11, as shown by the figures below, so far in the first six months (April-September) of 2011/12, there has been 4.7% fall compared to the same period last year.

There is much good news. For example, Oldbury had its lowest crime month on record in December 2010 following a high profile campaign by police and council wardens. Read more about this story.

Any crime is one too many for the victim and their family.

Together with our partners at the council, probation, fire service, Sandwell Homes and health, to name but a few, we are working hard to tackle all forms of crime.

Total recorded crime from 2002 - 2011

2002 - 2003	2003 - 2004	2004 - 2005	2005 - 2006	2006 - 2007	2007 - 2008	2008 - 2009	2009 - 2010	2010 - 2011
40,945	38,473	30,246	28,621	27,870	26,289	24,077	21,333	22,719

Serve and Protect

Sandwell Police have joined colleagues across the West Midlands in a crackdown on robbers this year called Serve and Protect.

Over 1,500 people across the region were arrested in just three months for serious acquisitive crime, including robbery, burglary and car crime.

Police have been focusing on managing known previous offenders and those on police bail for offences such as burglary and car crime.

Police have also issued personal safety advice for young people going back to school and continue to urge everyone to register their property.

Forum meetings and walkabouts

Residents can raise any concerns they have with council neighbourhood managers and Police at neighbourhood forum meetings and walkabouts, which are held quarterly in all of Sandwell's 24 neighbourhoods.

In 2010/11, 2,570 people attended forum meetings, which are organised by the council's neighbourhood managers. 

A new police station for Sandwell

Chief Constable Chris Sims joined Sandwell Police commander Chief Superintendent Mark Robinson and partners to officially open the new Sandwell Police headquarters in the heart of West Bromwich.

The station in Moor Street is home to the management team for Sandwell local policing unit (LPU), as well as West Bromwich sector neighbourhood teams, Sandwell response officers, and the borough's criminal investigation department.

Trading standards successes

Sandwell Council trading standards officers seized nearly £3 million of fake goods in raids across the borough last year.

The haul included hundreds of items of designer clothing, sunglasses, video games and consoles, clocks and headphones.

Officers also took legal action to seize cash in 12 UK bank accounts and one bank account in Spain, as well as a house in the UK, an apartment in Spain, land in Brazil and over £13,000 of jewellery.

The successes are revealed in a round-up of the service's activities in 2010.

Trading standards also successfully prosecuted a fake 'faith healer' who conned people out to thousands of pounds. The man was jailed for 18 months. The case followed complaints from local people.

There have been more successes in recent months, including a couple prosecuted for a money-spinning fake DVDs and games operation and the seizure of over 4,000 counterfeit cigarettes.

Work to tackle rogue doorstep traders continues.

Helping women victims of domestic violence

A new computer suite was opened at the borough's largest women's refuge to mark International Women's Day.

The suite will help vulnerable women, many of whom are victims of domestic abuse, to stay in touch with their families and plan their future.

Sandwell Women's Aid, which runs the refuge, also held a party for service users to mark the centenary of International Women's Day on 8 March.

The charity has recently secured funding from the Big Lottery 'Reaching Communities' fund to maintain and develop services for victims of rape and sexual violence.

And it has also launched the Teenage Relationship Abuse Programme (TRAPPED) to help protect young people.

Funded by the Home Office in partnership with Sandwell Council, TRAPPED is raising awareness in schools of some frightening and dangerous trends in teenage relationships. These include sexual exploitation, teenage domestic and sexual abuse, and risks around gang culture.

Meanwhile, every year Sandwell Organisations Against Domestic Abuse (SOADA) is continuing to support hundreds of women, men and children affected by domestic abuse. You can read a powerful case study from one of SOADA's clients.

SOADA has the police, council, health, housing and others all working together to provide support to victims and their families.

• Sandwell Organisations Against Domestic Abuse (SOADA): 0845 359 7525
• Sandwell Rape & Sexual Violence Service: 0845 055 9597
• Sandwell Women's Aid: 0121 552 6448
• Humdard (Asian Women's Domestic Violence Services): 0845 607 6474

Support for business

Security at a Smethwick engineering company has been improved following support grants from the Safer Sandwell Partnership.

A&M EDM Ltd, which employs 33 people, upgraded its CCTV systems to combat burglars, thieves, fly tippers and inconsiderate motorists.

Jenny Bennett, from A&M EDM, said: "We are always conscious of the ability of the burglars and miscreants who target our premises, but with this initiative we have attempted to be proactive rather than reactive after another intrusion in to our premises. It has allowed us to add capacity to our business with a degree of security."

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