Police in crackdown on store raids gangs
Senior police officers are ploughing "significant resources" into snaring the gangs responsible for a series of armed convenience store cigarette and cash raids, it emerged today.
Senior police officers are ploughing "significant resources" into snaring the gangs responsible for a series of armed convenience store cigarette and cash raids, it emerged today. Shop bosses have been urged to step up their security measures.
Detectives have met with businesses to give them tips on how to prevent their firms from being targeted in the wave of raids that has swept through Staffordshire and across the Black Country.
The West Midlands force says it has a large team of experienced detectives committed to finding the culprits involved in the terr ifying raids in recent weeks.
Since July, there have been up to 18 break-ins or armed robberies at shops in the region.
Although no violence has been used in any of the robberies, the thieves are beco-ming more brazen and have even wielded axes and hammers towards staff while they are opening first thing in the morning or locking up at night.
Police are keeping an open mind as to where the stolen goods are ending up, but the spiralling cost of cigarettes – up from an average of £4.12 for a pack of 20 in 2001 to the current average price of £6.52 – mean they are easy to sell on the black market, with some pubs and car-boot sales recognised as regular outlets.
In the latest raid, crowbar-wielding robbers struck at the Co-op at the Swan Corner Shopping Precinct, in Chase Road, Burntwood, on Wednesday as staff were opening up. Just hours earlier, balaclava-clad thieves armed with an axe used a silver Vauxhall Vectra estate to ram-raid the front door of Tesco Express, in Walsall Road, Great Wyrley.
Meanwhile, a Co-op store in Finchfield and a Spar in Coseley were raided by arm-ed gangs within four hours of each other on Tuesday. Police in the West Midlands said they had spoken to shop bosses about bolstering CCTV, and bringing in extra security guards.
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