{"id":963686,"date":"2026-05-16T11:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963686\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T11:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:12:17","slug":"nearly-50-arrests-as-police-crackdown-blitzes-new-birmingham-suburb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963686\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 50 arrests as police crackdown blitzes new Birmingham suburb"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police have targeted a new city suburb with dozens of arrests and stop-and-searches leading to ‘early success’<\/p>\n

09:52, 16 May 2026Updated 10:00, 16 May 2026<\/p>\n

Nearly 50 arrests as crime crackdown targets Birmingham suburb <\/p>\n

A new crime crackdown in a Birmingham suburb has seen almost 50 arrests in weeks.<\/p>\n

West Midlands Police<\/a> \u2019s Operation fearless, which began in Erdington<\/a> in January 2025, has now moved to Handsworth<\/a> and the Soho Road area in particular.<\/p>\n

While the operation was officially launched in the north Birmingham<\/a> district this week, it unofficially started at the end of April.<\/p>\n

Read more: Two shops raided as hundreds of illicit items seized and metal bats found<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In that time, police officers have flooded the area and made 45 arrests for crime including drug dealing, possessing knives, robbery and burglary.<\/p>\n

Six prisoners, who have breached their licence conditions, have been found and returned behind bars, while suspected thieves, burglars and drug dealers have been charged.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A ‘Bob Shop’ is visited by Trading Standards and Immigration officers during Operation Fearless(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n

Some 36 stop and searches have been carried out in the area and have had a \u2018high success rate\u2019 police said, where drugs and knives being seized.<\/p>\n

In addition, 14 vehicles have been seized, and police working with Trading Standards have seized illegal goods being sold in mini-mart style shops on Soho Road.<\/p>\n

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: \u201cOperation Fearless has hit the ground running on the Soho Road and Handsworth triangle \u2013 with significant arrests and a great response from the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 100 officers and colleagues from partner agencies officially launched Fearless on Wednesday to mark the start of their work to tackle the crimes that matter to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Wednesday was the official launch, the team has been working hard since the end of April.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Drivers pulled and shops raided – how massive crime crackdown happened in hours<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The targeted police operation began in Erdington, before being expanded to the Southside area of the city centre, around Hurst Street, and now Handsworth.<\/p>\n

It is made up of 14 dedicated officers, who work with local police teams.<\/p>\n

A police spokesperson said: \u201cFearless deployments are based on statistics and crime analysis, and we have identified that this location would benefit from the operation\u2019s problem-solving activity, to pursue those whose criminal and anti-social behaviour affect people who live, work or visit the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means you might notice an increased police presence, as the team use a mix of high-visibility and plain-clothed patrols, as well as targeted intelligence and warrants to tackle the issues that matter to local residents, businesses, and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Food court hits back at ‘harmful’ critics after opening ‘without permission’<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The 45 new arrests add to the 500 plus arrests already made by Operation Fearless officers in the other two areas of Birmingham.<\/p>\n

Dozens of dangerous weapons have been seized, along with large quantities of drugs and more than half a million pounds in illicit cash.<\/p>\n

Police say the crime crackdown has led to \u2018significant reductions in knife crime and youth violence\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Handsworth area will see \u2018more cops on the beat\u2019 and a real focus on the crime that matter most to locals in the area.<\/p>\n

The police spokesperson added: \u201cReport any suspicious activity to us on 101. In an emergency, always dial 999. Your information could help us prevent crime and keep our community safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can also report crime anonymously to Crimestoppers online at crimestoppers-uk.org or by phone on 0800 555 111.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Police have targeted a new city suburb with dozens of arrests and stop-and-searches leading to ‘early success’ 09:52,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":963687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,188,393,4884,13844,16,15,7830],"class_list":{"0":"post-963686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-crime","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-handsworth-and-soho","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-west-midlands-police"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116583959641745176","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/963687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}