Call for cameras to tackle car crime in Walsall

Walsall Council leader Mike Bird has vowed to have automatic number plate recognition cameras installed on the borough’s borders to help police catch thieves.

The issue was discussed at a scrutiny committee meeting earlier this month, during a debate about police resources when Streetly ward Councillor Suky Samra told members that car crime was on the rise again in the area.

As well as cars being stolen, Councillor Samra said offenders were breaking into cars to steal steering wheels and valuable equipment in the vehicles.

Superintendent Andy Parsons, from Walsall Police, said a variety of police resources were deployed to tackle stolen vehicles but warned theft from cars could be classed as lower priority as officers are called to deal with more serious offences.

But Councillor Bird said: “What we can do as a council is look at investing in ANPR cameras on the borders of Walsall.

“We are serviced quite heavily by motorways and I know crimes are committed and its up the A34 to Junction 7 and you can be anywhere within half an hour.

“So I think this will certainly be a priority of our administration next year to introduce ANPR on the borders on the main through routes which can be used by the police to target county lines crimes.

“We should use technology more in detecting crime and working with police. There is no reason why we can’t come together on that.

“ANPR cameras are good at nicking you when you are parking so why don’t we use them to nick them when they are thieving?”

Councillor Samra said: “In my ward, Streetly, we have had a spike in car crime again. We were doing great and it had gone down.

“What they are doing now is not actually taking the vehicles but they are taking steering wheels and crimes are actually being committed on that property.”

Supt Parsons said: It depends where this sits as a priority in terms of who we deploy to it and the level.

“If car crime, especially in Streetly, is more organised and high powered vehicles, you probably understand when I say I’m reluctant to put two PCs in a Corsa to go to try and deal with that.

“That’s when we call upon the support of our road traffic colleagues who have got marked and unmarked vehicles who routinely will be called in.

“With theft from a motor vehicle, this is where we are in that space where we have to make some difficult decisions around prioritisation.

“Theft from a motor vehicle is never going to necessarily compete with abuse of a child, serious assault, sexual assault or extreme violence which we are also trying to combat.

“I wouldd never say we are never going to deal with it but to be brutally honest, if we are seeing a spike in vehicles being targeted overnight, we would ask the neighbourhood team to get messages out there about measures such as steering locks.”