Teenager charged with robberies at park as police work to make people feel safer
A teenager has been charged over a series of robberies in and around a park.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with four counts of robbery and remanded into custody ahead of an appearance at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Friday.
The charges relate to alleged robberies around Witton Lakes Park in Erdington, Birmingham.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We know parents and local people have been worried, especially as teenagers have been targeted for their mobile phones in recent months.
"Our specialist robbery team are investigating the offences, working closely with local policing teams. We are listening to your concerns and have been taking action, with more patrols in and around the park after school and at other key times.
"We’ve installed extra CCTV around Witton Lake, the council have been cutting back shrubbery so the area is more open and feels safer and officers have been carrying out weapons sweeps and doing joint patrols with volunteers from StreetWatch.
"We've been working alongside schools and colleges and given inputs on safety, and have ongoing preventative work to steer young people away from violence."
The spokesman added: "We also charged a 16-year-old boy last month with robbery in connection with this investigation and on Tuesday (11 April) we arrested two teenage boys, both aged 17, on suspicion of robbery offences. They were both bailed with conditions while our investigations continue."
