Newly created police team hails success after arrest of teenager in Walsall
Officers from a newly created police team covering the Black Country have arrested a 16-year-old boy who was allegedly carrying a kife.
The Project Guardian Western team were on patrol in Walsall when they arrested the teenager on Monday and took him into custody. A small bag of cannabis was also discovered.
The boy, who can’t be named due to his age, has since been charged with possessing a knife and possessing Class B drugs. He has been bailed with strict conditions to appear at Birmingham Youth Court on February 2.
The Project Guardian Western taskforce covering Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton was set up at the end of last year and aims to reduce violent crime, with a focus on reducing knife crime in young people.
Officers patrol problem hotspots for youth violence and knife crime, engage with young people and support neighbourhood teams.
Inspector Colin Gallier, who leads the taskforce, said: “This is yet another good arrest for the Project Guardian team and we will continue to target those who carry knives.
“But we are not just there to target offenders. We like to engage with the public, let them know what we do as a team and to raise awareness of knife crime and the impact of carrying knives.
"If you see one of our Project Guardian officers please come over to us. We will only be too pleased to talk to you and give you an insight into what we do.”
