Latest news with #CraigGuildford
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Every single crime in the West Midlands as police say less reported
West Midlands Police's top cop has hailed a 'drop' in total crime across the region - with four areas in particular seeing a dip. Figures provided by the force to BirminghamLive revealed crime across the West Midlands dropped over the last year (July 2024 to June 2025) compared with the previous 12 months (July 2023 to June 2024). Chief Constable Craig Guildford credited "significant changes" to how communities are policed and confirmed that vehicle crime, burglary, robbery and knife crime have all seen 'significant' reductions. READ MORE: Ryanair announces new Birmingham Airport route to 'magical' location READ MORE: Faces of Birmingham gun makers who gave three-word criminal guarantee The numbers account for the crimes that are reported to the police. Numbers provided directly to BirminghamLive by West Midlands Police spell out a six percent drop in reported crime across the region. Chief constable Guildford credited this to the force introducing a "local operating model to bring a better spread of officers, detectives and specialist staff across the force delivering an improved service." Force numbers reported that total crime dropped from 323,108 offences for July 2023 to June 2024 to 303,498 offences for July 2024 to June 2025. This equals a 19,610 decrease in total crime. A notable drop of 12 percent was recorded in knife crime - but as a BirminghamLive special investigation reported in June, the West Midlands still has some of the highest rates of knife possession and serious knife crimes in England and Wales. Read our special report into knife crime, here. West Midlands Police spoke of how they have moved to having dedicated neighbourhood policing officers for each city ward - a hark back to time when there were bobbies on specific beats. The force added that a return to this type of policing means officers can "work closely with local residents to address community priorities and concerns." Breakdown of West Midlands Police crime figures below: Crime Jul-23/Jun-24 Jul-24/Jun25 Difference % Change Total crime 323,108 303,498 -19,610 -6.07% Knife crime 12,301 10,811 -1,490 -12.11% Robbery 8,125 6,661 -1,464 -18.02% Burglary 19,154 15,318 -3,836 -20.03% DA 54,458 52,504 -1,954 -3.59% Vehicle crime 33,477 27,919 -5,558 -16.60% Total arrests 53,082 57,976 4,894 9.22% Total detections 9.03% 13.79%4.77% One such example of this policing style is West Midlands Police's Operation Fearless - which has now moved to Birmingham city centre from Erdington. We've followed the progress of Operation Fearless since its launch in Erdington in January, where officers were cracking down on very specific issues plaguing the area including open drug taking, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. The Fearless team is formed of 20 officers, including a bike-riding cop whose knife chase was viewed by more than 1 million people. West Midlands Police said in July they are on track to reach 100 arrests for Operation Fearless in the city centre and southside area of Birmingham in the "very near future." Chief Constable Craig Guildford said of these latest figures: 'The continued success to cut crime across the West Midlands is a fantastic message to be able to deliver. Vehicle crime, burglary, robbery and knife crime have all seen significant reductions.'I hope our communities feel confident and reassured that our officers and staff are working tirelessly to cut crime in their area. 'The data reflects some very significant changes to the way we police on behalf of our communities on a daily basis and the results that these changes have brought. We have been able to make substantial reductions in crime, to arrest more offenders and to ensure they are held to account for their crimes whilst we continue to protect the vulnerable. 'The continued drop in offences is clear, there are now considerably fewer victims of crime across the West Midlands compared to previous years and our work will continue."
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Police chief backs colleague accused of ‘covering up' asylum seeker rape case
A chief constable has backed a police colleague after they were accused of 'covering up' an asylum seeker rape case. Craig Guildford, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, said police were 'always striving to be transparent', but were governed by rules. Mr Guildford told LBC he would have taken the same action as his colleague from Warwickshire Police, after two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, were charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Warwickshire Police has admitted it withheld the immigration status of the two suspects. Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, said he 'absolutely' believes information about charged suspects' immigration status should be made available by police. Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary, has called for more transparency from police about suspects, and said it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over what information to release. When asked about the Home Secretary's comments during a phone-in, Mr Guildford said: 'We're always striving to be transparent in everything that we do, but we're governed by rules. Rules are often set by Parliament, they're set by the CPS, the courts. 'We have to be really careful that we do follow the rules, so we don't just make rules up as we go along. I spoke to my colleague next door in Warwickshire, he's followed the rules. He's done the right thing.' Asked if he would take the same action as his colleague in Warwickshire over the alleged rape case, Mr Guildford said: 'Yes, that's right.' He added: 'I think the problem with providing more information is you've got to be so careful with the protocol that we've got and the guidance that we've got, and we need to make sure that we follow the rules. 'And if we don't, we don't want to come on the wrong side of the argument or prejudice any live proceedings. And that is really key. Can't underline that enough.' The Law Commission has been asked by Sir Keir Starmer to fast track a review of contempt of court rules, which restrict the information that police can put out on the basis that it could prejudice a suspect's fair trial. The commission, which advises ministers on new laws, will make proposals in autumn on what information law enforcement agencies should be able to publish about suspects in attacks such as the murder of three young girls by Axel Rudakubana in Southport last summer. Mr Guildford added: 'At the moment, the rules are under review, and they're under review by the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council and, also, there's a Law Commission review. 'And I think what we need to do is wait and see what comes out of there, and then act accordingly and act properly. 'But in terms of the broadest theme of transparency, absolutely, we produce loads of data, and of course we want to give as much information as possible, but we have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the law.' It follows concerns by three of the main policing bodies that the current contempt of court rules risk leaving an information vacuum that could be filled by 'unchecked misinformation and disinformation'. The riots in Southport were partially blamed on false claims circulating on social media that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat. Other incorrect rumours suggested the killer had been on an MI6 watchlist. The only information released by Merseyside Police about the suspect's identity was that they were a 17-year-old from Banks, in Lancashire, who was originally from Cardiff. Two hours later, the force amended it to 'born in Cardiff'. Police did not divulge family background details, including that the attacker's parents were Christians who had come to the UK from Rwanda. The attacker was not named because he was one week shy of his 18th birthday.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
We want to ‘give as much information as possible' on suspects
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said police are 'always striving to be transparent', but are governed by rules. Speaking on LBC, Mr Guildford said he would have taken the same action as his colleague from Warwickshire Police, amid an alleged 'cover-up' of details about two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, who were charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that he 'absolutely' believes that information about charged suspects' immigration status should be made available by police. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for more transparency from police about suspects, and said it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over what information to release. During the phone-in, when asked about the Home Secretary's comments, Mr Guildford said: 'We're always striving to be transparent in everything that we do, but we're governed by rules. Rules are often set by Parliament, they're set by the CPS, the courts. 'We have to be really careful that we do follow the rules, so we don't just make rules up as we go along. I spoke to my colleague next door in Warwickshire, he's followed the rules. He's done the right thing. 'At the moment, the rules are under review, and they're under review by the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council and, also, there's a Law Commission review ongoing. Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Craig Guildford said it was the 'right thing' for Warwickshire Police to follow the rules (Ben Whitley/PA) 'And I think what we need to do is wait and see what comes out of there, and then act accordingly and act properly. 'But in terms of the broadest theme of transparency, absolutely, we produce loads of data, and of course we want to give as much information as possible, but we have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the law.' Asked if he would take the same action as his colleague in Warwickshire over the alleged rape case, Mr Guildford said: 'Yes, that's right.' He said: 'I think the problem with providing more information is you've got to be so careful with the protocol that we've got and the guidance that we've got, which comes actually from a few years ago, sort of post-Leveson, post-Jimmy Savile, post some of the issues around the Cliff Richard inquiry, and we need to make sure that we follow the rules. 'And if we don't, we don't want to come on the wrong side of the argument or prejudice any live proceedings. And that is really key. Can't underline that enough.'
North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
We want to ‘give as much information as possible' on suspects
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said police are 'always striving to be transparent', but are governed by rules. Speaking on LBC, Mr Guildford said he would have taken the same action as his colleague from Warwickshire Police, amid an alleged 'cover-up' of details about two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, who were charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that he 'absolutely' believes that information about charged suspects' immigration status should be made available by police. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for more transparency from police about suspects, and said it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over what information to release. During the phone-in, when asked about the Home Secretary's comments, Mr Guildford said: 'We're always striving to be transparent in everything that we do, but we're governed by rules. Rules are often set by Parliament, they're set by the CPS, the courts. 'We have to be really careful that we do follow the rules, so we don't just make rules up as we go along. I spoke to my colleague next door in Warwickshire, he's followed the rules. He's done the right thing. 'At the moment, the rules are under review, and they're under review by the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council and, also, there's a Law Commission review ongoing. 'And I think what we need to do is wait and see what comes out of there, and then act accordingly and act properly. 'But in terms of the broadest theme of transparency, absolutely, we produce loads of data, and of course we want to give as much information as possible, but we have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the law.' Asked if he would take the same action as his colleague in Warwickshire over the alleged rape case, Mr Guildford said: 'Yes, that's right.' He said: 'I think the problem with providing more information is you've got to be so careful with the protocol that we've got and the guidance that we've got, which comes actually from a few years ago, sort of post-Leveson, post-Jimmy Savile, post some of the issues around the Cliff Richard inquiry, and we need to make sure that we follow the rules. 'And if we don't, we don't want to come on the wrong side of the argument or prejudice any live proceedings. And that is really key. Can't underline that enough.'
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
We want to ‘give as much information as possible' on suspects
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said police are 'always striving to be transparent', but are governed by rules. Speaking on LBC, Mr Guildford said he would have taken the same action as his colleague from Warwickshire Police, amid an alleged 'cover-up' of details about two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, who were charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that he 'absolutely' believes that information about charged suspects' immigration status should be made available by police. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for more transparency from police about suspects, and said it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over what information to release. During the phone-in, when asked about the Home Secretary's comments, Mr Guildford said: 'We're always striving to be transparent in everything that we do, but we're governed by rules. Rules are often set by Parliament, they're set by the CPS, the courts. 'We have to be really careful that we do follow the rules, so we don't just make rules up as we go along. I spoke to my colleague next door in Warwickshire, he's followed the rules. He's done the right thing. 'At the moment, the rules are under review, and they're under review by the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council and, also, there's a Law Commission review ongoing. 'And I think what we need to do is wait and see what comes out of there, and then act accordingly and act properly. 'But in terms of the broadest theme of transparency, absolutely, we produce loads of data, and of course we want to give as much information as possible, but we have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the law.' Asked if he would take the same action as his colleague in Warwickshire over the alleged rape case, Mr Guildford said: 'Yes, that's right.' He said: 'I think the problem with providing more information is you've got to be so careful with the protocol that we've got and the guidance that we've got, which comes actually from a few years ago, sort of post-Leveson, post-Jimmy Savile, post some of the issues around the Cliff Richard inquiry, and we need to make sure that we follow the rules. 'And if we don't, we don't want to come on the wrong side of the argument or prejudice any live proceedings. And that is really key. Can't underline that enough.'
