Dudley is safest borough in West Midlands, claims police commander

Police are still trying to track the culprits behind two attempted car-jackings and a burglary in Stourbridge, which have happened in the past three months.

But Sally Bourner, who is Dudley's police commander, has sought to reassure the borough's residents that police are trying to clamp down on crime.

She said: "Dudley borough, which is one of the seven boroughs here in the West Midlands, is the safest borough, per 1,000 head of the population, of any borough in the region.

“However I absolutely recognise that sometimes it may not feel like that. There have recently been nasty carjackings where violence was used which has a massive impact on the victims and wider community.

“These incidents are not unique to Dudley. They form part of a wider pattern of violence sadly seen across the region and nationally. We are working tirelessly to tackle this type of crime and are actively pursuing all lines of investigation to identify, arrest and bring the offenders to justice."

The most recent attempted car-jacking took place in Pedmore, Stourbridge, where a woman was punched several times in her head, as robbers armed with a machete stole her car-keys.

It was the second to happen in the town last week, with another taking place on Monday.

During that incident, two thieves pulled up to a house in Pedmore armed with a zombie knife and threatened a man and woman.

One of the thieves chased the couple into their house before assaulting them. But they fled the scene after neighbours heard the commotion.

And on Boxing Day, masked broke into a Pedmore home before stealing an Audi TT.

The borough has also seen a man charged with murder after a man was killed in Lower Gornal.

Sally also said police rely heavily on the public in helping to fight crime.

“We rely on help from the public to help us identify who is responsible for these shocking crimes," she said.

"I’d urge anyone with any information to get in touch with us as soon as possible.”