West Midlands Police has arrested seven suspected drug dealers in and around Westside after a special operation with the area’s street wardens.
Operation Eternity involves the wardens meeting, talking and trying to assist vulnerable people who have been found destitute or begging in the area, helping them to find food, clothes and accommodation.
This new partnership approach has resulted in intelligence about drug dealing in the area which has been shared with the police who have then taken action.
Nicola Whitehurst, the new vulnerability manager on Westside BID’s warden team, revealed the success of the operation in a presentation at the BID’s annual general meeting (AGM), held at the Novotel on Broad Street yesterday afternoon.
She explained that the seven suspects arrested in recent months were now at various court stages, while another two individuals suspected of dealing drugs are under police surveillance.
Ms Whitehurst said: “We have long realised that just moving the homeless or street community on simply transfers a problem to another area of the city. Operation Eternity means we are now taking the time to engage with them properly, talking to them about their situation and the problems they face.
“This has led us to learn more about what’s going on out on the streets, and we are increasingly picking up hints and tips about drug dealers who plague the area. We have a weekly meeting with the police and pass on our intelligence, and this has directly led to seven arrests in recent months, some accused of running quite big operations.
“The police are now also very closely watching at least two other suspects of drugs dealing as a result of information we have provided.”
Chief Inspector Gary Everitt of West Midlands Police, who now leads city centre police operations in Birmingham, told the meeting that there had been a 10 per cent reduction in crime in the area in recent months.
He said: “We welcome this collaborative approach with Westside’s street wardens. It’s a great example of how working together with our partners in the city can result in successful action against crime.”
The meeting also heard from Westside’s senior street warden Peter Willis, who explained how the BID plans to double the number of daytime wardens in the area, and increase night-time patrols by 50 per cent.
Around 30 people attended Westside BID’s AGM, including business leaders from an independent pub, a local TV station and a bank based on Brindleyplace. The meeting, chaired by Gerald Manton, the BID’s chairman, received an update on what had been achieved in recent years and heard about various plans for the future.
Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, also told the meeting about a proposed new ‘Energy BID’ that would collect power from solar panels on the areas tall buildings and store it in batteries based in an unused railway tunnel, providing cheaper electricity to local businesses.
He also informed the meeting that Westside BID is to hold a new ballot of businesses later this year to seek approval to continue its operations from 2025 to 2030. Mr Olley added that the BID’s plans for its next term included slightly extending its boundaries to include Nelson Street at the back of the ICC and Five Ways railway station.
Pictures by Jas Sansi.
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