Man to appear in court after action by city pub managers’ WhatsApp group
A man will appear in court charged with burglary offences after a WhatsApp group of pub managers took action following a month-long crime spree in Birmingham.
The offender is believed to have targeted numerous bars and restaurants on Broad Street and Brindleyplace over the past few weeks, either forcing doors to break into premises or sneaking inside and stealing staff property, drink bottles and food.
His alleged crimewave finally came to an end on Sunday when members of the Manager’s Watch scheme operating via WhatsApp combined to lead to an arrest by police. A man is now due to appear in court on October 24 charged with burglary offences. He has been remanded in custody.
Steve Emmison, manager of Velvet Music Rooms in Broad Street, which had itself been targeted less than a week before the arrest, said: “The WhatsApp group was set up in 2019 involving all the bars on Broad Street and Brindleyplace.
“It enables us to help other venues, so if one premises throws someone out, or a customer runs up a big tab and leaves without paying, then you can notify everyone else."
Peter Willis, the senior street warden on the Westside Business Improvement District (BID), said: “The WhatsApp managers’ group, representing many of the businesses in the Westside area, made a coordinated effort to gain evidence. By sharing information through this managers’ group, we knew the area was being targeted.”
Mike Olley, general manager at Westside BID, said: “This arrest clearly demonstrates the importance and effectiveness of our venues’ managers coming together on WhatsApp to safeguard their premises and staff by sharing vital information.”
