Drugs stash seized as police raid West Bromwich home

Police swooped on a house and seized drugs, as part of a crackdown on the region's street gangs.

Officers targeted the property in West Bromwich and arrested two men on suspicion of possession.

Sniffer dogs searched the terraced home in Mary Road, near Holy Trinity Church, after police burst through the door at about 3pm yesterday.

The raid was carried out by local neighbourhood officers and investigators from a task force formed to tackle street gangs in the West Midlands.

Sergeant Richard Bird said police carried out the raid in response to community concerns about drugs supply in the area.

"We have had intelligence from residents and have taken action.

"If there are concerns about drugs in the area we will always seek to act upon that."

A team of about 12 officers took part in yesterday's operation. A black Peugeot car parked outside the property was also searched, while police seized cannabis and plant growing equipment from inside.

Officers arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of possession of class B drugs and a 17-year-old on suspicion of possession of class A and B drugs. They have both been bailed pending further inquiries.

Residents said they were pleased that action had been taken.

A 58-year-old, of nearby Florence Road, said: "Drugs is a problem and has been for a while. It's good to see that the police are doing something about it. People need to learn their lesson."

Officers from the West Midlands Police Gangs Task Force, which was formed at the beginning of the year as part of the force's strategy to disrupt urban street gangs, also visited the address to investigate links to the West Bromwich-based Raiders gang.

So far this year, the task force has arrested more than 120 people, and recovered six firearms and thousands of pounds in crime cash and Class A drugs.

Officers are also involved with intervention tactics to divert youngsters away from the criminal lifestyle they are involved in.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Wallis, who leads the team, said: "We are not targeting youngsters who are out in groups with friends – this is about tackling the urban street gangs who cause crime and anti-social behaviour.

"West Midlands Police is committed to tackling gang-related criminality, as well as reducing the number of young people becoming involved in gang culture and carrying weapons."

Mr Wallis' team aims to provide a visible presence across the force area to deal with gangs and engage with youngsters to promote an alternative to that lifestyle.

The team of 35 officers covers the whole force area and works closely with colleagues who police the local policing units.

They use both high-visibility uniform patrols and plain-clothes work to tackle gang issues through partnership work with local authorities and communities.

Their aim is to disrupt the activities of the approximate 23 urban street gangs across the West Midlands whose activities impact on the local community. The officers involved spend most of their time on patrol talking to people and building a picture to differentiate between people who are associating as groups for social reasons and those who become actively involved in criminality and violence.

Mr Wallis said: "There is a real joint focus upon reducing the attraction of joining criminal gangs in the first place.

"The work starts in the family home, in youth groups and through education in our schools across the region. This education work includes sharing powerful and emotive stories of those who have lost loved ones to gang violence, as well as accounts of those who thought it may be glamorous only to see themselves serving long prison sentences – a stark realisation that it is anything but glamorous.

"The team are based in Birmingham but have geographical areas to cover.

"Depending on what intelligence is coming in, or local community tensions, they will be deployed to patrol the area or carry out plain clothes work."