Dudley Central

Dudley Town Centre - Anti Social Behaviour

The Dudley Central Neighbourhood Policing Team continue to conduct regular targeted ASB patrols within Dudley Town Centre, ensuring that we are engaging with members of the public and local businesses to identify and address the issues that they are having.

One of the recent issues that has been highlighted to us is that groups of young people are accessing the rooves of various premises within the town centre, whereby they are throwing items down towards customers/residents. To tackle this issue, the dedicated neighbourhood officer for the area has arranged and attended a joint meeting with the local councillor, whereby they have completed a walkthrough of the area and identified the access points that are being used. Once identified, these access points were secured, ensuring that only the relevant business owners have means to access these parts of the premises. Further meetings to be held with business owners to ensure these access points are remaining secured at all times and to identify any other access points. Civil interventions have and will continue to be used on those responsible. Two suspects were arrested from the marketplace for causing criminal damage and arson - one is being dealt with via out of court disposal (YOS) and the other has been charged and is due to appear at court in December 2026.

Dudley Council ASB team have created a streamlined process, allowing for officers to process breaches of the public space protection order (PSPO) more efficiently and effectively. This civil intervention has been and will continue to be used against people drinking / using drugs in public spaces, littering and causing general ASB/nuisance. Local neighbourhood officers are working with Dudley Council Street Wardens to enforce this.

Dudley Town Centre - Serious Youth Violence

We have implemented a dedicated patrol plan, which ensures that officers are conducting high-visibility patrols within Dudley Town Centre, in particular around the marketplace, various campus locations at Dudley College, Priory Park and Coronation Gardens. We have used crime trend data to identify key times for these patrols to take place. Our aim is to deter people from congregating and committing crime in these areas.

We regularly work with our Guardian Task Force completing plain clothed patrols which allow for further positive action to be taken, including intelligence-led stop and search and enforcement (arrest), which will prevent and deter youths from committing acts of serious violence.

We also complete regular engagement events at our educational establishments, promoting awareness in regards to serious youth violence and knife crime, ensuring that we are effectively advising students/staff on crime prevention strategies.

We recently effected the arrest of an individual for possession of a bladed article and an offensive weapon in a public place within Dudley Town Centre. He has been charged and remanded to court.

Milking Bank & Russells Hall - Anti Social Behaviour, Off road bikes and drug use/supply

Anti Social Behaviour patrols and enforcement in hotspot areas such as Claverley Court, Butterfield Court, Russells Hall Park, Grange Park, Milking Bank Park and Osprey Drive. We have been focusing our patrols in these areas and will look to enforce and take positive action.

We have conducted a number of police surgeries and multi-agency crime prevention engagement events within the locality to provide our communities with the opportunity to engage and discuss any ASB issues with the team. We are also regularly liaising with our partners to provide a cohesive approach to dealing with persistent problems and issues

Our team has and will continue to schedule operations with our off-road bike team who are part of our road crime department. This team are in very high demand; however, we recognise that this is a major issue on our areas, so we are booking the team in advance, so that we can maximise the amount of off-road bike operations we are able to complete. The team attended recently, and although they were subject to extreme adverse weather conditions, they were still able to locate/seize a stolen vehicle.

We have also completed some work with the Dudley Council drone team, with a view to tracking those that are causing anti-social behaviour, especially those doing so on off-road bikes, back to their addresses and identifying them so that we can take appropriate action against them.

We will enforce against those that are using/supplying drugs, whether that be by way of executing warrants at relevant addresses or arresting/charging those responsible. We are also utilising civil interventions to tackle drug use via CPWs and out of court disposals. We have recently effected the arrest of a male for Possession With Intent To Supply (PWITS) Class A drugs, whereby the suspect's address was thoroughly searched by our Operational Support Unit (OSU) who are specialist search trained, leading to us seizing a large quantity of suspected Class A drugs. The suspect has been bailed with conditions.

We have also been alerted to several issues occurring in the surrounding streets of Grange Park. We have conducted some partnership work with DMBC who are working on making the park more secure and are looking to place a mobile dome camera in the locality. We are also looking to place up signage in the area as a deterrent for gatherings and illegal activity.

Castle & Priory - ASB, Off-road bikes & Shop Theft / Robbery

The Dudley Central Neighbourhood Team will continue to conduct regular targeted patrols of known hotspot areas, such as The Greens, Priory Park, Wrens Nest Nature Reserve and Castle Mill Woods, with a view to deterring ASB / criminal behaviour and maximising enforcement opportunities against those that are engaging in this behaviour.

Our team has and will continue to schedule operations with our off-road bike team who are part of our road crime department. This team are in very high demand; however, we recognise that this is a major issue on our areas, so we are booking the team in advance, so that we can maximise the amount of off-road bike operations we are able to complete.

We have also completed some work with the Dudley Council drone team, with a view to tracking those that are causing anti-social behaviour, especially those doing so on off-road bikes, back to their addresses and identifying them so that we can take appropriate action against them.

It has been raised to us that there has been a number of thefts and robberies occurring at some of our business premises within this area, most notably Tesco (Birmingham New Road). Our officers are regularly completing police surgeries at these premises, ensuring that we maintain a presence within them, to deter potential offenders. We are also holding regular meetings with security and management of these premises to advise them around crime prevention and securing sufficient evidence to assist us in securing charges on theft offenders. Our team also work closely with our Neighbourhood Crime Team to ensure that any violent offenders are identified and brought to justice.

It has also been identified that there are a number of rough sleepers locating themselves in and around Tesco, Birmingham New Road, some of which are being rude and abusive to staff/customers. With the Vagrancy Act no longer being a part of law, we will be looking to address this via the civil intervention route (CPW > CPN > CBO). A problem-solving plan is now in place and we will work with our partners to tackle this issue. Our team have recently proactively effected the arrest of two of the prolific offenders relating to this issue - they remain on conditional bail and are being dealt with by our Criminal Investigation Department (CID).