How many weapons West Midlands Police seized using extra stop and search powers in Birmingham

West Midlands Police officers were given extra powers to stop and search people in some parts of the city centre from Friday last week.

This allowed them to stop anyone they suspected to be involved in violence, or carrying weapons, without the need to have reasonable grounds.

The city centre team were joined by officers from the Guardian taskforce team - which focuses on under 25 violence and knife crime - to use the powers between Wednesday and Friday (January 12 - 14).

The force has revealed that police in Birmingham seized three knives and a hammer last week after using new stop and search powers in the city centre.

During those three days, officers seized the weapons, made arrests and moved on suspected gang members.

During the operation 185 young people were encountered and it resulted in a hammer, along with the three knives being recovered.

There were also 34 dispersal orders issued requiring people to leave the city centre to prevent anti-social behaviour, crime or violence.

Police made six arrests for offences ranging from assault to possession of a weapon to having drugs.

What’s been said about the operation?

Chief Inspector James Spencer, from Birmingham police, said: “There are lots of people coming into the city each day and we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable in doing so.

“The action we’ve taken is just part of our ongoing work - alongside partners and the wider community - to prevent violence, while also engaging with those who are vulnerable to gang exploitation to steer them away from crime.

“We don’t take the decision to use section 60 powers lightly, but in the right circumstances and with the support of the community they it can be a useful tool.”

He added: “We’ll be carrying out a review of the operation - including stop and search scrutiny panels - to see what we can learn from the last few days and we’re keen to hear feedback on this.

“But I want everyone to be assured that even without section 60 powers we’ll be continuing to take a proactive approach to keeping our city safe. We’ll have officers in place to monitor areas and take appropriate action to prevent crime.

“We’re grateful for the support we’ve seen from the public and we’ll continue to work with them to ensure the city can be safely enjoyed by all.”

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