Illegal vapes and tobacco among items seized in swoop at Oldbury shop
Illicit vapes and cigarettes worth thousands of pounds have been seized from a store in Oldbury as part of a joint police and Trading Standards operation.
Police officers along with Sandwell Council’s Trading Standards seized almost £5,000 worth of illegal items including more than 100 oversized disposable vapes, more than 5,000 illicit cigarettes, and 600g of hand rolling tobacco. The initiative is part of Sandwell's Safer 6 policing campaign targeting illegal activity in the borough's six towns.
Sgt Jessica Northall, from the Partnerships Team said: “We work closely with our communities and partners to tackle a range of issues such as stores selling counterfeit products
“We rely on information from the community to let us know about suspicious activity going on in your area.”
West Midlands Police is working with Sandwell Council Trading Standards to identify shopkeepers in the area which are selling counterfeit and illegal products and take action to disrupt and stop their illegal activity.
This includes conducting intelligence-based inspections, seizing counterfeit and illegal products and potentially pursuing closure orders on stores that persistently ignore the law. It is now illegal to sell or supply any single-use vapes.
The partnership includes a mixture of enforcement, joint operations, activities around the dangers of carrying weapons and highlighting services which are available to support communities.
Other events will be held in Tipton from June 16-22; Wednesbury from June 23- 29; Rowley Regis from June 30-July 6; West Bromwich from July 7-July 13 and Smethwick from July 14- 20.
Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community, said: “We know there are issues that worry and frustrate our residents and we’re responding to those with targeted action and activities across the borough. It’s vital that people are safe and feel safe where they live and work.
“Thank you to all the teams and partner organisations supporting the Safer 6 campaign. We work closely with the police and many others through the Safer Sandwell Partnership throughout the year to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and make sure everyone can get the support they need.
“Safer 6 is the perfect opportunity to build on that, bringing people together across Sandwell to promote safety, crime prevention and healthy living.”
Chief Superintendent Kim Madill, responsible for policing across the borough and chair of the Safer Sandwell Partnership, said: "This is all about working together to make sure Sandwell is a safe place to live, work and visit.
"We know there are real issues which impact on people’s lives and we’ll be working on these during Safer 6. This is not just about enforcement though, as through the partnership we can look to change perceptions and highlight the support which is available.”
