Swords and Class A drugs recovered from Birmingham as four arrested and one man charged

Swords and Class A drugs were recovered by West Midlands Police Operation Fearless officers during a stop and search operation in Birmingham.

Officers from the team were on high visibility patrols on Ninevah Road last Tuesday (May 19) when they became suspicious of a driver.

They searched him and his car, and recovered a large sword from the boot of the vehicle.

The 33-year-old was charged with possession of a bladed article and will appear in court next month.

On Friday (22 May) officers became suspicious of another vehicle, at the junction of Thornhill Road and Holly Road. It sped away from officers, but was pulled over on Soho Avenue.

Cash and five mobile phones were seized, and more cash and drugs were seized following a search of a house linked to the investigation.

Four men have been arrested and released on bail as part of the investigation.

Detective Inspector Tom Lyons said: “Stop and search is a really powerful tool, and we’ve made a number of significant arrests and recoveries of weapons and drugs as a result.

“We don’t use it lightly and we have to have grounds to use it. All stop and searches are recorded on body worn video, and we regularly speak to independent community groups about our use of the power so that they can scrutinise it.

“Fearless will continue to use all the powers and tools we have available to us to make the areas where we work safer for everybody.”

West Midlands Police added: “Fearless officially arrived in the Soho Road and Handsworth triangle area on 13 April, and have already made 60 arrests as they tackle anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, knife crime and criminality associated with mini-mart style shops.”