Dawn Raids Happened in Wood End
Coventry Police turned up the heat on organised crime suspects in the city with a dawn raid in Wood End (Dec 3) that saw a man arrested on suspicion of plotting a heist on an electronics warehouse.
Officers forced entry to a property in Milverton Road just after 6am as part of an investigation into numerous shop and pub robberies in Coventry and a commercial burglary in Leicester in which £400,000 worth of Apple gadgets were stolen.
And after smashing through a reinforced door they arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and a 10-year-old boy on suspicion of being involved in a house break at Lapworth Road, Wood End, on 9 September.
Computer equipment, phones, clothing and a substance believed to be drugs was seized from the address.
Detective Inspector Nick Dale, said: “We want the community to sit up and take notice of our efforts to tackle organised crime law-abiding citizens can rest assured we’re taking strong action against suspects, whilst criminals should be asking themselves ‘am I next?’
“We’ve embarked on an intensive assault on Coventry’s crime gangs. These are individuals who seem to think they’re above the law, are involved in anti-social behaviour and who often ‘rule’ their communities through intimidation.
“No-one should feel threatened or worried in their own community; we’re determined to cut the criminal cancer from our communities and would urge members of the public to back our efforts by reporting any concerns or suspicions they have to us.”
Today’s action follows a series of simultaneous warrants last month (Nov 20) that saw police descend on seven homes in Wood End and Henley Green.
That joint West Midlands and Leicestershire Police operation was sparked by two raids on a commercial unit in Leicestershire in October when thieves made off with £400,000 worth of iPads, iPods and iPhones.
Det Insp Dale, added: “It’s really important the community sees us carrying out this kind of enforcement activity and targeting people we believe are involved in crime or benefiting from criminality.
“There can be few things more frustrating than seeing people living well beyond their means and suspecting they could be funding that lifestyle through crime.”
Anyone who suspects criminality in their community should contact West Midlands Police on the 101 number, or speak anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
