Words by Ed King
On Tuesday 7 January, West Midlands Police (WMP) launch Operation Fearless on Erdington High Street – described by the force as “a major new drive to bring down crime” and help people feel safe in Erdington Town Centre.
Following on from Operation Skybridge, which launched in October last year, WMP state the new policing initiative will bring “a brand new team of 20 officers… dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour” into Erdington Town Centre, making arrests for crimes from shoplifting to drug dealing.
In a further list of offences the initiative is looking to stamp out, Operation Fearless will also target crimes including anti-social behaviour, robbery, burglary, violence, the sale of stolen goods, and exploitation.
Alongside seeking support from local businesses on the High Street, police say Operation Fearless will work with “Birmingham City Council and other agencies such as immigration, bus and rail companies” to identify and catch criminals.
Local residents, shoppers, and businesses in Erdington Town Centre have long reported endemic shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the once bustling retail hub, with WMP estimating crime in the area has cost the local economy around £7m in the last year alone.
Talking about shoplifting on the High Street, Karen Leavy, store manager at Peacocks on Erdington High Street, previously told Erdington Local: “It’s every day… the [shoplifters] that we know of it could be up to two or three times a day.
“Then there are one’s that we don’t know of, going to the back of the shop and detagging stock. They are an everyday occurrence as well.”
She added: “From 2019 up to last year it’s improved, but we’re still losing about £250 a day.”
(Click here to read Erdington Local’s 2023 feature on shoplifting on Erdington High Street in full.)
Operation Fearless is funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPPC) using £880,000 from the proceeds of crime to finance the special policing initiative.
Once Operation Fearless has completed its work in Erdington Town Centre, both WMP and the OPCC are keen to replicate the program in other crime hotspots across the region. However, as with Operation Skybridge, Erdington Town Centre was chosen as the “pilot” due to the troubling crime trends in the area.
Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster told: “I am pleased to announce that I am investing nearly £1 million from proceeds of crime recovered from criminals, to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”
He added: “Operation Fearless is launching first, in and around Erdington High Street. I am committed to ensuring there is a reassuring and visible presence out on the streets to keep people, families, businesses and local communities safe and secure.”
Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who is heading Operation Fearless, further told: “Every day, people in Erdington should feel safe, but we’ve been listening to community concerns, and we understand that people aren’t feeling safe.
“So, we are now launching Operation Fearless to ensure that people feel safe coming to Erdington to live, work and shop.”
He added: “We hear you; we understand you and what matters to the community the most. What we need now is your support.”
Until 23 December 2024, Erdington Town Centre was also under a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) giving local law enforcement greater powers to challenge crime and anti-social behaviour in the area and allowing them to physically remove and effectively ‘ban’ repeat offenders from the High Street.
Implemented in May 2021, the PSPO expired just before Christmas Day last year, with Erdington Ward Councillors Robert Alden (Conservative) and Gareth Moore (Conservative) spearheading the campaign to get it renewed for a further three years.
At the time of writing, it is unclear if the PSPO for Erdington Town Centre will be reinstated by Birmingham City Council.
Operation Fearless – official launch video from West Midlands Police
For more on Operation Fearless direct from West Midlands Police visit www.westmidlands.police.uk/police-forces/west-midlands-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/operation-fearless/