St Alphege 29th September 2026 – 4th October 2026 Good Evening Here is your regular update from the St Alphege Neighbourhood Policing Team Burglaries There have been no reported residential burglaries. Vehicle Crime Between 5:59pm and 6:16pm on Tuesday 29th September the front number plate was stolen from a silver VW Tiguan while it was parked on the car park of Solihull Arden Club on SHARMANS CROSS RD. At 6:45pm on Friday 2nd October a locked black Yamaha 125 R motorbike was stolen from MILL LANE. 3 offenders wearing balaclavas were seen to arrive on 2 other motorbikes and brake the lock enabling them to ride the bike away. Other crimes Several other crimes have been reported to us over this period such as shoplifting, assault, harassment, domestic abuse and blackmail. GOOD NEWS St Alphege and Blythe officers have arrested 2 prolific offenders who are responsible for the theft of thousands of pounds of items from convenience stores across the force area including the Sharmans Cross One Stop store. We also seized their unroadworthy vehicle to be crushed. There will be a beat surgery on Saturday 10th October at 10:00am at SMITHTONS FOOD MARKET ON PROSPECT LANE. Officers will be in attendance along with Shirley East and Sharmans Cross Councillor Mark Parker. We have held 2 Community speed watch sessions on ALDERBROOK RD where 5 out of 205 vehicles were speeding with a fastest recorded speed of 41mph, and SHARMANS CROSS RD where 41 out of 326 vehicles were speeding with a fastest recorded speed of 36mph in the 20mph zone. CRIME PREVENTION Now that the nights will be getting darker please follow these simple crime prevention guidelines. Don’t leave your house in darkness, this is a clear sign that the house could be empty. Timer switches for lamps are a useful item to use so that lighting comes on while you’re out. Wifi enabled systems can also be used to switch your lights on. And off. Remember, crime prevention is all about making it difficult for offenders to break in to your property or steal your vehicles. If they have to spend more time or make more noise than they want to they may give up and look elsewhere. Please consider anti-snap locks to all outside doors. Look for at least 3 stars and the Kitemark when purchasing them. Put wheelie bins at the rear of your property away from gates and fences if you can. These can be used as a means to get over your fence and into your rear garden. If you have a side gate or a fence bordering your garden, then think about something called PRIKA STRIP. This is strips of hard rubber spikes that can be run along flat surfaces such as gates, fences and roofs, anybody attempting to climb on or over will find it difficult to put their hands on the surface due to these spikes. HAS YOUR FOB DONE ITS JOB? Always make sure that your vehicle has locked before you walk away from it. Offenders are out there at night trying the handles looking for insecure vehicles. Please consider a good steering lock for your vehicles. If your vehicle is keyless entry then consider using a FARADAY pouch to put your keys in. These block the signals that are picked up by scanners. DON’T leave valuables in unattended vehicles. Tamper proof screws for number plates are a good idea to protect number plates from being stolen. Pickpockets and purse dippers are active in the town centre. Always make sure handbags are zipped, never leave your handbag or purse unattended on a shopping trolley, pushchair or wheelchair. Always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you when withdrawing cash. A simple tactic against this type of crime is to attach small bells to your purse so that they jingle when purses are being moved. Please ensure that you have a good quality lock if you plan on leaving your bike unattended. A D lock is one such type of lock. Cheap locks are cut through in seconds and even stronger chains put up little resistance to bolt cutters. Bike theft generally increases with the better weather as people start to get out on them more. Please take 5 mins to read about ways you can prevent burglary and vehicle theft www.westmidlands.police.uk/search?q=Burglary www.westmidlands.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/Follow us on Twitter @stalphegewmp | 
