COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

An 'emergency summit' with police chiefs has been arranged



A crimewave has struck an area of Coventry and has even seen a young boy mugged on his way home from school.

The robbery on the schoolboy was one of over 70 offences recorded in the Woodlands ward in January, according to three concerned councillors.

They say that additional police officers have been brought in to tackle the spike in crimes and they have even arranged an ‘emergency summit’ with senior police figures.

The councillors - Julia Lepoidevin, Peter Male and Gary Ridley - say that West Midlands Police have increased the number of uniformed and plain clothed officers in the area, while requesting additional resources from the rest of the region.

Among the crimes reported by the Woodlands councillors for their ward in January were 15 vehicle offences, 11 violent offences and three burglaries

However, it is claimed by residents that the true number of crimes is higher than those given.

Cllrs Lepoidevin, Male and Ridley have organised to meet Richard North, Superintendent of the Coventry Neighbourhood Policing Unit, at the end of February.

Cllr Lepoidevin said: “We’re very grateful to the police for agreeing to meet us. Although we meet our local police team regularly we’ve requested a high-level meeting to elevate the concerns expressed by residents.

“Recently, we’ve received numerous reports of criminal activity in the area which is extremely unusual.

“We’re taking these reports very seriously and we’d urge residents to remain calm but vigilant and contact the emergency services if they suspect criminal behaviour is taking place.”

One of the concerns voiced by residents is an upsurge in vehicles being broken into and items being stolen.

Cllr Ridley said; “I was burgled just before Christmas last year, it happened on the same day a friend passed away and it was a dreadful experience for my family.

“We simply cannot, and will not, allow criminality to gain a foothold in our community and we’re working closely with the police to identify solutions to this situation.”

Cllr Male added: “As a resident of Eastern Green, and the owner of a van containing valuable tools related to my work, I am extremely concerned by this increase in criminal activity.

“I can assure residents that we’re working closely with our community police team, who acknowledge there’s been a spike in criminal activity in Woodlands ward.

“In response, they’ve already increased police numbers in the area.”

As a resident of Eastern Green, and the owner of a van containing valuable tools...

Police confirm extra patrols after crimewave in Coventry

Police say they are working “round-the-clock” to fight an upsurge in crime in a Coventry suburb.

Extra officers have been sent out on patrol in response to the crimewave in Woodlands since the turn of the year, which includes a young boy being mugged on his way home from school.

Supt Richard North, from Coventry Police, said: “We acknowledge that we have seen a recent spike in burglary across the city and in the Woodlands area and want to reassure the community that we are taking this seriously.

“We recognise the impact this crime has on the community and stress that this is currently a priority for police in Coventry.

“There is an on-going operation running which focuses on bringing as many perpetrators to justice as possible, as well as increased patrols to deter potential offenders and challenging anyone acting suspiciously.

“The community can help us by making sure that they lock and secure their homes, and report any suspicious activity to police.

“I appreciate the concern this is causing for the community and I assure you that we’re working round-the-clock to reduce this figure and ensure that our communities feel safe.”

Police crackdown on suspicious activity after Eastern Green crimewave

Residents in areas ridden with crime are being urged by police to report any incident - no matter how small.

Coventry Taskforce has been inundated with information about people trying to open cars in the Finham and Eastern Green areas of the city.

But they say if it isn’t reported, there is not a lot that can be done.

They are now urging residents to report any suspicious behaviour, including if someone tries to open any locked car doors.

Coventry Taskforce said: “We are aware there have been a number of incidents of car doors being tried in the Finham and Eastern Green during the night, from comments being made within closed social media groups, but very few have been reported.

“A recent theft from a car has been reported and the car owner informed us that others in his street had mentioned having CCTV of their cars being checked.

“Unless matters are reported to us, there is nothing we can do to try and identify the offenders and bring them in for questioning. It all comes down to ‘helping us to help you’.”

The urgent appeal comes at a time when a young boy was mugged and vehicle crime has doubled in the Whoberley ward, which covers the Eastern Green area.

The wards of Whoberley, Earlsdon, Bablake and Sherbourne have seen a dramatic rise in vehicle crimes, a staggering 69 in January of this year, compared to nearly half at 35 last January.

Cllr Bally Singh (Lab, Whoberley) has said 40 per cent of the vehicle crimes happened on unlocked cars - meaning a huge 60 per cent of vehicles had been forced open.

He has now sent a letter to the police force urging for more funding to be put into resources to help catch the people doing it.

Coventry Taskforce added that no matter what the incident with the vehicle, they should report it.

They said: “Obviously we appreciate some folks don’t want to ‘bother’ us but that doesn’t actually help solve the problem and probably ends up with frustrated residents.

“Especially if they end up having their cars broken into and then said they ‘wish they had reported the previous incident’.”