Walsall off licence cashpoint set to be removed over crime fears

Bosses at Walsall Council will meet next week to discuss asking the owners of 38-40 West Bromwich Street in Caldmore, home to the Kabani off licence, to take out the cash machine which was installed in April.

Owners will be given one month to remove the machine, with Walsall Council expressing its concern that it is harmful to the safety of residents by being in 'an area of high crime.'

Issues relating to driver parking on double yellow lines to access the machine have also been raised.

A statement from a report set to be discussed at the meeting on January 5 reads: "The installation of the ATM is detrimental to the personal safety of those who use the facility and replenish it, by virtue of it being in an area of high crime rates and the lack of a high quality and robust system of security in place to protect its users.

"The ATM results in indiscriminate parking either on the double yellow parking restrictions on West Bromwich Road or on the pavement outside the site, to the detriment free flow of traffic on the public highway and to the free passage of pedestrians on the public footway.

The cash machine was installed on April 28 2016 with a retrospective application submitted in June.

Council bosses refused the plans in October on the grounds of security and highway safety. They say that an appeal against the refusal was being prepared, however one has not yet been received.

The shop falls within the St Matthews ward, where there have been 91 reported cases of theft from the person between December 2015 and November 2016.

In total, there have been 4,361 crimes reported across the ward during that same time period.

Councillor Aftab Nawaz, who represents the ward and also sits on the planning committee which will discuss the proposal to force the removal of the cash machine, said as a councillor for the area, he didn't want to see it 'labelled' as a heavy crime area.

He said: "I don't think we want to be labelled as an area which attracts crime and there is always work being carried out to reduce crime in the area.

"With regards to the cash machine I will keep an open mind and listen to all sides of the argument before coming to a personal decision over what should be done." No one from the shop was available for comment.

"There has been concerns from residents expressed to me in the past that its position is not ideal, it is next to a busy road, so in that respect I can see why there are safety concerns."