This page contains an update on policing in the Bearwood Area and we will be updating it from time-to-time with reports from our local police team. Feel free to add any comments you may have.
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Today (Thursday 29th December 2011) at about 11 am a 81 year old lady was a victim to a bag purse dip where she had £500 stolen. The victim had attended Barclays bank on Bearwood road and had taken £500 from her account. She then walked towards Aldi where she had a conversation with two young Asian or Eastern European females in there 20′s, one of which distracted the victim and the second stole her purse from her handbag. This is an appeal for information from the public. You can either phone me (0345 113 5000 ext 7601 6139) or phone crime stoppers (0800555111). The crime reference number 20SW/255213R/11. Many Thanks Sgt Paul Shannaghan |
With the new cold weather, please don’t leave your cars running to warm them up and leave them unattended, it is a easy win for the criminals.
Many thanks
Paul Shannaghan
very good advice, we don’t want thieves nicking our cars at this time of year as times are hard already. How would we get on with the insurance if somebody left there car running and someone nicked it, would we be able to claim or would it be classed as your own fault as the keys was in the ignition.
No your insurance would be invalid
With the cases that i have been involved in and your car was stolen in this way your would not be covered by you insurance.
Many thanks
Paul Shannaghan
Thankyou for letting us know because you never know where you stand with insurance companys, so i will take your advice and take my keys out of the ignition in future. Its good news you caught the lad breaking into cars in bearwood hopefully with the likes of these people off our streets our car insurance won’t keep going up.
Merry Christmas to the good people of Bearwood from your Police team.
Comment about the incident on pargeter road, this just shows how dangerous our streets are becoming. I also refer to ‘ the working girl who got seriously assaulted on sandon road a couple of weeks ago which as gone unoticed, i don’t agree with prostitution but they do not deserve to be attacked, I do hope this as not gone unoticed. I remember when the streets of bearwood was safe, i know there always has been crime but lately it just seems to of got worse, Bearwood road used to be busy now its become like a ghost town especially the top half where you get beggars around the cashpoints and aldis carpark, The barleycorne as become derelict and lets hope they don’t get permission for a casino. The country as become a laughing stock now with this government in charge things will only get worse with all the cutbacks especially with the police who a lot of people rely on, the police already have a hard job to do already and we do know they can only be at one place at a time so these cutbacks don’t help. Lets just hope we can make ’2011′ a safer place to live where ideally a old age pensioner can walk to the shops without being frightened, where you can go to the cashpoint without being pestered, where you can leave your car window open without being nicked, where you can leave your backdoor open without being burgled all these would make an ideal world to live but we can all dream can’t we.
I live on pargeter road and the incident mentioned above happened right outside my house. I was woken at 1am and called the police and ambulance. I must say it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life and I am still left very shaken from it. Mine and my neighbours cars were covered with the forensics tents for tests and that was very unnerving to see. Awful awful assault, it won’t leave me for a long time. There are some nasty people out there.
I have noticed a significant change in antisocial behaviour in Bearwood in the last year. Last summer my partner and I were hassled by some teens whilst we were having a pic nic in Warley woods one lovely evening. They came and stole food and drink from us and when we stood up to them threatened to ‘kosh’ us. Also around the swiming baths there are frequently people meeting by phone box, someone walks in and then someone goes in after them. The area has changed and I don’t want to be a cliche and move to Harborne, but Bearwood unfortunately has not become the thriving, young, up and coming place that it was talked of being. Hopefully with more side street policing, activities for teenagers, patrols and smartening the place up it will improve. I’ll hold out a bit longer!
Hi
Just for everybody’s information, you may have seen a lot of police officers and the Police helicopter around Bearwood on Sunday evening. This was because on Sunday afternoon a 11 year old boy with autism went missing. He was found safe and well. Just to say thank you for all the people who supported the police on the day.
Many thanks
Paul Shannaghan
Phew, thanks goodness. Well done!
As you may of heard about the disgusting behaviour of the scum who recently vandalised The uplands cemetery the other night, i really hope these idiots get whats coming to them because who in the right mind goes around smashing headstones in a cemetery. we was one of the lucky ones who’s headstone didn’t get damaged because luckily enough my sister is buried just over the road in the old uplands cemetery, my heart goes out to all those people who woke up to find out there graves of there loved ones had been damaged. This disgusting behaviour is a classic example of the youth of today ‘ no respect for anything’ . The police should catch these people and sit them in a room with all the relatives and ask them to explain there behaviour and see how heartbreaking it is to those who after put up with the aftermath of there behaviour. I really hope they do catch them and put them before the courts which hopefully should be a prison sentence, because this sort of crime is just beyhond belief. I know this happened outside bearwood but this affects everyone and i would also like to know what smethwick police are going to do about it.
Just dipped into the Bearwood blog and have learned of the vandalism in the cemetry. I was minded to visit after an email alert regarding the sentencing of Jason Griffiths for the vandalism. I think’s it’s worth noting that he’s 41 years of age. Violence is within all generations and whilst I agree (as we get older mind) that ‘teenagers’ have little respect and are responsible for much, we must guard against vilifying the whole group.
Hi
Just to inform you that a 40 year old male from Oxfordshire has been charged with the offences committed in the Thimblemill cemetery on Wednesday, we will be asking for magistrates to remand the male in custody unto the trial. We are not looking for anybody else in relation to this incident.
Many thanks
Paul Shannaghan
Well done for catching the brain dead moron who has caused a lot of grief to many people, hope he gets a long sentence and named and shamed by the press. Many thanks to pc shannaghan for your update.
If that person put his efforts into something useful as opposed to something so pointlessly distructive and upsetting for all, think how effective he could be. My thoughts go to the families.
Good to know that the disrespectful moron who damaged so many graves has been caught, well done to the local Police for finding the muppet so quickly!
Well done Smethwick Police and anyone else connected with the caputure of this man. Hopefully he will be found guilty of this disgusting disresspectful act. Mine and I’d imagine most peoples thoughts are with the families of the vandalised graves, lets all hope justice will prevail.
Baggy I’m sure that you were angry and annoyed when you wrote your piece however I think in refelection of this arrest you may think its worth an apology to local youths who I think you may find are as much appalled by this act of desecration as are the rest of us
ok i do apologize for my comments about the youth of today, but i never thought that a 40 year old man would be responsible this crime, as knowing the area where the cemetery is there is a lot of anti-social behaviour with youths damaging the garages at the side of the cemetery. I was angry and annoyed because my sister is buried over the road in the old uplands cemetery and the news being that the uplands cemetery had been damaged it got us all worried. This is posted on the bearwood blog but how about making a sandwell blog where more people can get involved. Like i say my heart goes out to those relatives who have to put up with the aftermath of this persons behaviour and lets hope the courts throw the book at him.
Baggy re your Sandwell blog idea and getting more people involved there are lots of ways people can get involved but many choose not to which is their choice obviously.
But I think it dis~heartens the authorities when they ask and we dont answer. For instance the local police hand delivered 1500 questionaires in January asking about any problems they should be made aware of, they received only ONE reply.
The Smethwick Neighbourhood manager Santokh, who does a great job, wrote a piece on this blog on 25th Jan describing his job telling people to contact him with any issues. Again as you can see off his ‘here to help’ section he’s had no reply.
In Bal Mand, Smethwick’s Inspector we have a good guy who does a good job along with his local teams. Since Wednesday I’m personally sick to the back teeth of hearing that its pointless saying anything to the police or council cos they wont do anything.
Well they do and they will. Report the graffiti to Santokh and it’ll get sorted tell the police about the asbo stuff and they’ll address it, it may not happen overnight but it will get done in these times of cut backs if we dont use these services we’ll lose them
The idea of a sandwell blog would be a good idea, as at the moment the things you say about the neighbourhood officer is only posted on the bearwood blog which not everyone knows about, or think they cannot have their say because they live outside the area as this blog is only for bearwood. We do have a good man in inspector bal mand, who does his hardest to keep smethwick safer, and also ps shannagan from abbey police who informed us about the latest on the cemetery. But i do think the idea of a bigger and wider blog where more people can have their say about things would be good, and the same column as policing abbey for different areas would be good. I know this probably wouldn’t happen because like you say not enough people would get involved but you can only put ideas forward. As you say richard there are lots of ways for people to still get involved.
baggy… I run this blog as a councillor for Bearwood. I would find it very difficult to do for Sandwell as a whole, not least because of the time commitment. Also, to be honest, I know what’s going on in Bearwood, I can’t keep up with events across the borough.
Bob
Yes baggy I forgot to mention our local councillor Bob Piper who runs the Bearwood Blog I know he’s Labour but dont hold that against him, he’s a good bloke and Bearwood is better for having him get onto your counvillor Stephen Frear about setting up a blog for your area I went to school with him he’s obviously not as good as Bob but I’m sure he’d do it
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Totally agree with M, prostitution seems to be back on the streets of bearwood, especially sandon road, the other night whilst driving back from coventry, along the hagley road to sandon road there was 5 girls plying their trade at 10. oclock at night don’t know what its like later on in the night but i’ve been told at certain hours in the night its quite bad. It always seems to get worse when the summer nights are here, there needs to be some funding to get these girls off drugs and to reabilitate them back in to normality, but sadly i think its too late especially like M says with the cutbacks and restructuring of the police it seems to be a low priority crime now especially with violent crime spiralling out of control, so what do we do, ask the police to concentrate on prostitution or violent crimes or robberies. What needs to happen is the government sit down and sort this problem out.
Just confirming Prostitutes are back on the corner of Drayton Road or sitting at the bus stop opposite.
My wife tried to phone the Police but was put through to three different extensions but could not get through so she had to leave a message.
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Just to Inform everbody that a male was arrested for Vehicle crime in Bearwood during the week. The male has been charged and is now on Remand in prison.
Many thanks
Paul Shannaghan