Arrests made and knife recovered as officers work to prevent disruption in Birmingham city centre

We’ve made two arrests and recovered a knife as part of a planned policing operation to stop disruption in Birmingham city centre.

Officers were made aware of a large gathering planned for yesterday (15 June) for GCSE leavers day.

Due to concerns about potential disruption and criminality, extra resources were put in place as we worked with our city centre partners to make sure everyone was kept safe.

Local officers and Safer Travel colleagues patrolled key routes and areas, and a dispersal order was issued allowing them to break up groups and move on individuals to prevent nuisance or crime.

A 16-year-old boy, who officers had spotted acting suspiciously, ran from them but was caught following a chase.

He was detained and a large zombie knife was recovered following a search, and he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, as well as theft, after we also recovered suspected stolen mobile phones.

A second teenager was arrested following an assault on a police officer earlier in the day.

We also responded quickly to reports of people setting off fireworks. Thankfully, no-one was hurt, and our investigation into this is continuing – including a review of video footage of the incident which is circulating on social media.

Birmingham Police Chief Inspector Dan Thomas said: “We acted quickly to set up this operation with a clear aim of preventing disorder and ensuring we had a highly visible presence in the busy city centre.

“As ever, we’re focused on making the city as safe and welcoming as possible for everyone, and a combination of partnership working and proactive policing has ensured that yesterday.

“The vast majority of young people we spoke to were in good spirits, but the fact that we have seized a dangerous weapon demonstrates why we use these powers.

“We’ll continue working with colleagues across West Midlands Police, as well as Safer Travel and city centre partners, and take action to reassure the public and keep people safe.”