100 officers swoop on suspects wanted over 69 burglaries in Midlands
Around 100 police officers swooped today on a gang suspected of burgling 69 homes around the West Midlands.
Householders have been threatened with violence after raiders forced their way into homes, including one occasion where a woman in her 90s was dragged around her home in Wolverhampton.
Victims have been targeted in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Shropshire, leading to raids on nine addresses at 5am today.
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 Wolverhampton Road in Heath Town.
The four 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 at the address in Heath Town were arrested when it emerged they were wanted for aggravated burglary by South Wales Police.
West Midlands Police released footage of the raids today:
Today West Midlands Police revealed the crime spree started in October, with detached properties in semi-rural locations being targeted.
The crimes continued until at least April this year.
Det Insp 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."
