File:Day 201 - West Midlands Police - Robbery campaign launched (7609010728).jpg

Officers from @sandwellpolice have launched a campaign to keep robbery levels down across the borough.

Despite June seeing a 31.5% reduction in robbery offences (84 fewer victims) compared to June 2011, police are keen to ensure that this trend continues.

Officers will be stepping up patrols particularly in Smethwick at key times and aim to cut robberies and other crimes throughout the rest of July and August.

The campaign aims to reduce the number of offences by adopting a variety of tactics including: increasing the number of offenders charged and brought to justice; speeding up the process between arrest and sentence and dealing with offenders effectively at every stage of the criminal justice process.

Neighbourhood officers will be working closely with the community to raise awareness of Asian gold theft. They will be visiting community centres, schools, colleges, places of worship, business premises etc to spread the message.

Hundreds of posters and leaflets are being distributed across the borough, some of which have been translated into Punjabi and Urdu. An A frame trailer will be used at various places in Smethwick to further reinforce the message.

Police will also be working with Asian wedding planners, beauticians and venue providers to disseminate messages regarding street robberies and house burglaries where Asian homes are sometimes targeted for jewellery to be stolen.

Detective Inspector Dale Randle from Sandwell CID said: “We have seen significant reductions in robbery, so the chances of becoming a victim of this crime are relatively rare. We are keen to keep robbery down and are targeting theft of Asian gold as last year we saw an increase in the number of jewellery robberies.

“As the weather improves and people are wearing less layers of clothing, jewellery becomes more visible, we ask you to consider what you are wearing and how you can keep your jewellery safe when you are out.