Weekly update.

Dear Residents & Local Businesses, here is your weekly update from your local neighbourhood Policing Team, Stoke and Wyken.  

Christmas has now come and gone, but before we start, we would like to thank our amazing community for all their hard work and continued support over this last year. 

As we step into a new year, everyone at West Midlands Police would like to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to the people of Coventry, not just those who are within the Stoke & Wyken area. 

Over the past year, we’ve been proud to be part of so many community events across the city — from large public celebrations and safety days, to smaller neighbourhood meetings, school visits, and local engagement sessions. No matter the size of the event, every conversation, every question asked, and every person who took the time to come along has helped strengthen the relationship between the police and the communities we serve. 

Your involvement truly makes a difference. By showing up, sharing your experiences, raising concerns, and working with us, you help shape safer, more connected neighbourhoods. We are incredibly grateful for the trust, openness, and cooperation shown by residents, community groups, young people, businesses, and volunteers throughout the year. 

We’d also like to thank everyone who helped organise, host, and support these events — whether behind the scenes or on the day. It’s through partnership and collaboration that we can listen, learn, and improve, and we don’t take that support for granted. 

As the countdown to the New Year begins, West Midlands Police is encouraging everyone to plan and stay safe during celebrations across the region.  

Wherever you are heading out, we want your night to be memorable for all the right reasons. 

Planning Your Night 

New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year, with bars, clubs and streets packed full of people looking to ring in the New Year. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to plan your evening in advance.  

Book your transport home early – whether it's a taxi, public transport or a lift from a friend. 

Make sure your phone is fully charged before heading out, and let someone know where you're going and who you're with 

Use Licensed Venues and Taxis 

Stick to licensed bars and clubs, If you need a taxi, use pre-booked services or licensed taxis only – unlicensed drivers can be unsafe and unregulated. Many city centres will have designated taxi ranks and public transport running late into the night. 

Drink Responsibly 

We understand that many people will be drinking alcohol to celebrate, but please know your limits.  

Drinking too much can make you more vulnerable and impair your judgement.  

Always keep an eye on your drink and never leave it unattended. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and seek help from venue staff or officers on patrol 

Stay With Your Group 

Sticking with your friends is one of the simplest ways to stay safe 

Keep an eye on each other throughout the night and make sure no one is left behind.  

If someone needs to head home early, go with them or ensure they’re safely in a taxi 

Watch Out for Each Other 

If you see someone in trouble, don’t ignore it. Look out for people who appear vulnerable or distressed, and alert staff, security or police officers nearby. Officers and volunteers will be visible across key areas throughout the night, providing support and keeping an eye on public safety. 

Retail areas are always heavily targeted around this time of year, this can be a busy time for both the Officers and security teams around the area, however rest assured we are out and about, sometimes undercover to ensure that we reduce crime and potentially deter it. 

Officers from the Stoke & Wyken team have two arrests this week for various offences. 

We have continued our patrols around our green spaces such as Caludon Castle Park, Stoke Heath, The Lindfield, Barras Heath, parts of Gosford Park, Morris Park and St Margarets Park, if you are out and about and see us, please don't hesitate to speak to us, anything suspicious you see and wish to report can be anonymous and may prevent a potential incident from escalating or happening in the first place. 

Our targeted patrols which are done both on foot and in our cars are on areas which include Riley Square, Hillmorton Road, Edgwick Park and Walsgrave Road – Various Churches and community centres are where we generally host our cuppa with a copper and PACT meetings, please keep an eye out for our future messages for upcoming dates, this is where we can discuss community issues together and hand out various freebies, ie security devices and/or faraday pouches. 

For non-emergency enquiries or to raise community concerns in the Wyken area, residents are encouraged to contact Coventry Police through their usual channels. 

Live Chat | West Midlands Police (west-midlands.police.uk)  

Please be aware that this inbox is NOT monitored 24 hours a day and is purely for non-emergencies. In an emergency please call 999. To report a crime in a non-emergency situation please call 101 or visit Report a crime | West Midlands Police to do this online.     

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Non-Emergency: 101  

Emergency: 999 / 112 (if crime in progress or immediate danger)  

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Anonymous Reporting: Crimestoppers 

Also you may have been receiving a message in regard to locking your vehicles, this is due to the darker nights and how vehicle crime is at a high when it is wintertime, please continue to enjoy these reminders.