More than 125 people arrested in ‘rough’ Stockland Green over last six months

More than 125 people have been arrested in one of the “roughest” places in Birmingham over the last six months.

West Midlands Police say they have arrested scores people for drug crime, vehicle crime, burglary and other crimes in Stockland Green, Erdington.

In January 2023, the police searched three premises in connection with drug criminality and arrested five people for vehicle and drug crime last week.

The police shared the figures after it was reported that Slade Road in Stockland Green was one of the roughest streets in the whole country. It is said to be a hotbed of crime with residents fearful of being robbed in broad daylight.

The situation has been declining around the neighbourhood for the past decade, said residents and people working at businesses in the area.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We regularly meet with our local residents, partners and businesses to discuss the concerns that matter to them and to deal with the issues that they say are affecting their area.

“To deal with issues like drug crime, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime we have adopted an intelligence led approach. This means that we use local information, crime data and the information that our teams gather to predict crime trends.

“We use this intelligence to plan our activities and we make sure that our officers are in the area when they are needed...We also work really closely with our partners and charities. We are putting a plan in place to support people who could be vulnerable or being exploited in the area.”

Cannabis factory

In October 2022, West Midlands Police raided a cannabis factory worth £100,000 in the neighbourhood after receiving intelligence from the community. The police had thanked the residents for helping them discover the cannabis factory on Woolmore Road.

Burglary hotspot

Stockland Green had the fourth highest number of burglaries in the city in 2021 with 298 burglaries, up from fifth place in 2020, according to West Midlands Police data.