Police launch new road crime team

A new road crime team has been launched by West Midlands Police in a bid to "tackle criminals who use the roads of the West Midlands" and "make the streets safer for everyone".

The force introduced a third road crime team last week, targeting criminals involved in car key burglaries and other organised crime.

West Midlands Police said this marked the last stage of their commitment to increase the number of officers responsible for policing roads in the area.

These officers use unmarked, high-performance cars – as well as distinctive interceptors – to pursue and arrest suspected criminals.

In the last three months, more than £1m of stolen vehicles have been recovered by road crime team officers, more than 50 people have been arrested, and large amounts of Class A drugs and cash had been seized, the force said.

Some of these incidents include:

• Pursuing, stinging and boxing in a car on the M5, resulting in the seizure of 36kg of cocaine worth an estimated £5.4m last month
• The use of specialist tactics to stop a vehicle in Coventry, recovering drugs worth more than £2.5m and arresting a suspect in March
• The arrest in February of a man believed to be linked to the theft of cash machines from businesses.
• Working with another police force in March to successfully arrest a man in the West Midlands who was wanted for the attempted murder of one of their officers
• Arrest of a suspected organised crime group leader in Birmingham last month in a van, and the safeguarding of three vulnerable people believed to be exploited workers

The force said the road crime teams complemented the targeted work of the 24/7 interceptors.

In addition, West Midlands Police has dedicated road harm prevention team officers, who aim to tackle speeding, drink/drug driving, mobile phone use behind the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt - the offences behind most deaths and serious injuries on the road.

Supt Gareth Mason, head of roads policing in the West Midlands, said: "We are absolutely dedicated to making the roads of the region safer, and targeting the criminals who use them.

"The creation of this third road crime team shows how dedicated we are to that mission.

"Our officers are working 24/7 as we aim to achieve Vision Zero - working with councils and other partners to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030, and to reduce it to zero by 2040."

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