Birmingham's Hagley Road: 'Drug-dealing is rife and police have lost the plot'

BBC News

31-07-2025

"We know of at least three residents who have been cuckooed out of money. One elderly lady lost in excess of £3,000", says Chris Hoare, referring to criminals taking over and running their enterprises from the homes of vulnerable people. Mr Hoare is walking around the streets of Ladywood, close to the bustling Hagley Road - a key route into Birmingham city centre.In 2023, the community activist was recognised with a Pride of Birmingham award for helping to drive criminals from his estate.Now 81, he still keeps watch - overseeing locally-funded CCTV - providing West Midlands Police with intelligence reports and helping residents feel connected.
But he is not happy with the force's response.
There are reports of numerous crack dens opening up and – with them – widespread drug-use and violence in alleyways linking the estate to the Hagley Road."We're all fed up to the teeth about what's going on," Mr Hoare said."There are (drug) deals going on outside the back gate. The children have to be kept in the garden. It's not safe and nothing's being done."The police have certainly lost the plot because we very rarely see them".West Midlands Police said it had stepped up patrols in the area and made multiple arrests for antisocial behaviour in recent months.But the issues go deeper, Mr Hoare said.
He said he had recently confronted a suspected drug dealer "marching" a vulnerable resident to a supermarket cash machine, a scene he suggested was repeated on a weekly basis.CCTV cameras – funded by the community with support of the council and police – have provided the Birmingham South West community group with hours of footage.Excerpts the BBC has seen, recorded during June and July this year, appear to show open drug-taking, dealing and prostitution day and night.In one incident, two men are seen confronting another man on a bike, threatening him with a knife.In another, a man wielding a hammer attacks an individual carrying a large TV set. It is not known if anyone was injured.
Wilco Vandenberg, a resident, said he had offered about 2,500 hours of footage to West Midlands Police."They told me they would add it to their intelligence reports," he said."No patrol, nothing. It makes us feel unsafe living here. I feel really terrible to be honest, especially for our kids."
The BBC sought a response from West Midlands Police about the activists' specific concerns about antisocial behaviour around Hagley Road.Less than 24 hours later, neighbourhood officers conducted a dawn raid in nearby Windsor Terrace.On 25 July, two imitation firearms and a machete were recovered from one property, and a woman was arrested for recall to prison.A force spokesperson said: "We're committed to listening and acting on the information provided, and we've been carrying out increased policing activity around the Windsor Terrace area."We are now carrying out further work with our partners around anti-social behaviour in this specific location, and neighbourhood officers will continue patrolling the area".
Officers point to months of enforcement over a larger part of Edgbaston, even if some residents weren't aware.In June, Operation Skybridge saw 24 arrests for offences including robbery, drug offences, and vehicle crime.There is a perception locally that prostitution is becoming more common.Ladywood community CCTV footage appears to shows sex workers heading out onto Hagley Road, often accompanied by groups of men.Over three decades, one of Birmingham's busiest thoroughfares has seen sporadic efforts to crackdown on prostitution by local authorities and the police.In 2013, Operation Scarlet was hailed as being a successful scheme, one that was less about prosecution and more about signposting sex workers to sexual health services.It was fundamentally about ensuring the safety of the women, who were often being coerced onto the streets to fuel the local drug trade.
The Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) is one of the few organisations in Birmingham still building face-to-face relationships with sex workers.They are directly supporting around 40 people at any one time, with several hundred waiting for counselling. Their services also support women, men and children facing exploitation."Their needs are often complex, multifaceted, they face multiple disadvantage, lots of stigma. So it might be really detailed work over a number of years", says Lisa Thompson, the Chief Executive of RSVP.
The experience of a case worker - who can regularly meet sex workers in their safe place - has been critical in understanding the root causes of prostitution.It's often linked to the supply of drugs, where victims are coerced by an individual.But a scheme they run called "ugly mugs" has helped women report violent perpetrators in confidence, Lisa Thompson says."I think we've got to look at the root causes of prostitution and that's where we need more support regarding drug use," Ms Thompson said."We need to target actions towards men who are coercing women and forcing them into exploitation and into prostitution."I think there are a number of services working well together, but there's still a lack of support that's tailored for sex workers across the West Midlands and in particular across Birmingham and Solihull".
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