Four arrested in series of dawn raids following burglaries
Four people have been arrested in a series of dawn raids this morning on suspicion of burgling almost 70 homes across Shropshire, the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Around 100 officers, including colleagues from the Staffordshire and West Mercia forces, visited nine addresses at 5am supported by West Midlands Police’s dogs unit and the National Police Air Service.
Three men, aged 21, 24 and 25, were arrested from a travellers’ site on Oak Lane in Kingswinford and one man, aged 48, was arrested from a property on Wolverhamtpon Road in Heath Town.
The four men are suspected of being involved in the break-ins, which have seen families specifically targeted for Asian Gold − predominantly in Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Two teenagers, who were also present at the address in Heath Town, were arrested after enquiries revealed they were wanted for aggravated burglary by South Wales Police.
In some of the cases burglars have forced their way into houses and threatened occupants with violence − including one occasion where a woman in her 90s was dragged around her home in Wolverhampton.
The crime spree began last October with detached properties in semi-rural locations predominantly being targeted. The most recent linked offence was in February this year.
Officers from Force CID have been working around the clock to intercept those thought to be responsible, closing-in over the last few days and leading to the arrests.
Detective Inspector Steve Walters said: “The people who’re responsible for the break-ins are confident and brazen, having on several occasions gone into properties where they know occupants are present and threatening them.
“Putting a stop to these offences and arresting suspects has been a priority for us since this crime pattern was identified."
“I know there’s been concern locally about the impact of these offences, particularly amongst members of the Asian community, given the nature of what has been taken by the burglars.
“We will be questioning those arrested throughout the day and I hope that people are reassured by the action we’ve taken this morning."
DI Walters added: “Despite what appears to be an alarming number of burglaries, the numbers must be seen in the context of an overall reduction in offences.
“Crime continues to fall in the West Midlands and there’s been a reduction in the number of house burglaries of 13 per cent since the start of the year, equating to 38 fewer victims."
Anyone who has any information which may assist the police investigation they should contact Force CID on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
