TOP COP ON BID TO TACKLE CITY VIOLENCE

THE impact of 12 months of national lockdowns alongside a “chaotic” illegal drugs market means that violent crime remains a problem in Coventry.

This is the view of West Midlands Police’s top cop who spoke as the city witnessed a number of stabbings over the past few weeks something that mirrors what has been a worrying trend over the past few years.

The situation in our city has led to West Midlands Police making tackling violence in Coventry one of its force priorities.

Despite this - and the fact we were meant to be staying at home for the majority of the past 12 month as the Covid pandemic has taken hold violence in Coventry does not seem to have slowed down.

Our crime reporter BEN ECCLESTON spoke with Chief Constable Dave Thompson about why this is the case and he said a lack of schooling and job opportunities for young people due to lockdown, coupled with a criminal drugs market thrown in to chaos also by the pandemic, has led to more people being dragged in to gangs and a life of crime.

The force’s top-ranking officer said that “violence will not be eradicated” in Coventry, although they will continue to do all they can.

Looking back at how his officers and staff have dealt with the huge problems of coronavirus - both professionally and personally - Mr Thompson said it he been “the longest, sustained operation the force has had in its history”.

Asked about why violence continues to blight Coventry, Mr Thompson said: “I think we have made good progress in Coventry. Violence will not be eradicated and we have had young men largely not being in school for a year and that impact on the ability to be exploited and get up to no good and get in to gangs, the risk around people in those areas has been more challenging.”

The Chief Constable said the drugs market has been impacted by the global pandemic and has become more “chaotic” as border closures have meant it’s been “more difficult to import in to this country”.

He said this has led to officers “unearthing more cannabis farms” as criminals look to create their own stock, and the whole situation has led to more strife between rival gangs.

As for violent, and other, crimes continuing throughout lockdown, the Chief Constable simply said: “The people intent on breaking the Covid restrictions are usually the people who are comfortable with breaking the law also.

“So it won’t be a surprise that these people might not stick to other laws around

Covid.” The Covid pandemic has thrown everyone’s lives in to turmoil for the past 12 months no matter what their job or circumstances.

And this is exactly the same for police officers.

The Chief Constable said: “I often say policing is about fighting battles, not wars, and this (Covid) is the longest, sustained operation the force has had in its history.

“It’s been a tragic time as we

have had our members dying and people in the organisation whose partners have lost their jobs or been furloughed, and we’ve had to send people home who have been working remotely.

“The absences have been challenging, but I feel we have got the balance right with what we’ve been asked to do.”

Mr Thompson said officers have “come in to contact with a lot of people we don’t usually have contact with” around Covid enforcement, which has been “incredibly complex”.

He said that a “big thank you” must go out to the public who have abided by the lockdown rules, while saying that a lot of West Midlands Police’s enforcement has been around “parties and premises that are cheating”, adding: “We have licensed premises going out of business and we don’t want those cheating staying in business.”

The journey along Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown has begun, with schools reopening on March 8, and while there is light at the end of the tunnel, Mr Thompson spoke cautiously about what is still to come before normality can resume.

“We will gradually be stepping down and shifting the enforcement approach,” he said. “We will hope after June 21 it’s all lifted and it’s (lockdown enforcement) not something we will be doing anymore.

“We do have a long way to go until then and we will just have to adjust.”

He said that the force will have to look at the best approach to policing in coming months for “big events” and the “reopening of the nighttime economy”.