This is the nail-biting moment a lone officer on an e-bike chases a suspect through the streets of Handsworth. The policeman spots a masked man on a bicycle and shouts at him to 'stop there.' The balaclava-clad man ignores the order, drops his bike, and begins running along Heathfield Road before bolting down a side ride.
He discards a rucksack in the middle of the street and tries to scale a wall but is pulled down by the officer and caught. During the chase, the officer radios to his colleagues, who arrive quickly on the scene. They discover £2,500 worth of cocaine in the rucksack, along with £250 worth of heroin and a large quantity of suspected mamba.
Operation Fearless Launches on Soho Road
Footage of the arrest has been released to mark the launch of Operation Fearless, a major crackdown on drugs, knife crime, and anti-social behaviour affecting the Soho Road and Handsworth Triangle today, May 12. Around 20 specialist officers are teaming up with Trading Standards, housing, Soho Road Business Improvement District (BID), West Midlands Fire Service, Immigration, HMRC, and the Gambling Commission to get to the root of crime blighting the area.
Today, 80 officers will be working on a high-profile day of action with partners, which will include:
- Drug dogs being deployed to sniff out dealers
- Trading standards checks on the sale of counterfeit and illegal goods
- The Roads Policing Unit carrying out ANPR checks in the area to target uninsured drivers and criminals using the road
- The Mounted unit on patrol
- Immigration and fire safety checks
Deputy Chief Constable Comments
Deputy Chief Constable Jen Mattinson said: 'We’re thrilled to be bringing Fearless to the Soho Road and Handsworth Triangle today, and those who live, work and visit this vibrant area can expect to see real benefits as the team gets to work over the coming weeks. Fearless has a proven track record of success as they listen to and act on the concerns of people and partners wherever they work, to build intelligence and target those who cause the most harm to the community. The feedback from the people who live and work wherever Fearless goes has always been positive, as they build on the work of existing neighbourhood teams, and other partners, to make a real difference.'
