Dozens of arrests made and weapons seized as West Midlands Police Guardian Taskforce continues to keep streets safe
West Midlands Police's Guardian Taskforce had another successful month consisting of several arrests and weapons seizures.
Across July, the operation seized large amounts of drugs, weapons, and made over 75 arrests.
During the month, the officers worked across Birmingham, Coventry, and Tipton, with 86 deployments totalling more than 3,400 hours of patrols.
While patrolling, there were 409 stop searches carried out, which led to 42 knives or offensive weapons being seized.
Two teams worked across Birmingham in July, making 43 arrests, while in Coventry the team arrested 22 people for multiple offences including possession of an offensive weapon, possession of drugs with intent to supply. In Tipton, 13 arrests were made.
The number of drugs, weapons, and serious youth violence related arrests show an increase each month, with 60 in March, 65 in April, 57 in May, 77 in June, and 78 in July.
Inspector Kate Jeffries from the Guardian Taskforce, said: "Our teams work incredibly hard to take knives and offensive weapons off the streets.
“Every knife seized is potentially a life saved. We use a mixture of plain-clothes operations and high-visibility patrols to help keep our communities safe.
“Along with enforcement, my officers take time to educate young people around the life-changing impact of knife crime and serious youth violence. We are committed to taking action against those who would carry a knife.
“Thank you to everyone who provides the police with information about drug dealing, knife carrying, and suspected gang activity. Your reports and information help us focus our patrols and identify those who want to cause harm to others.”
Operation Guardian is a specialist taskforce which tackles knife crime and youth violence, with a particular emphasis on reducing knife crime in under 25-year-olds.
