Closure Order secured on residential property used for serious criminality

Following an application on behalf of Wolverhampton City Council by Wolverhampton Homes, Black Country Magistrates Court closed down a residential property in Dickens Road earlier this month.

This application followed the execution of a drugs warrant at the property by West Midlands Police on Friday 14 February when a firearm and ammunition were recovered alongside a quantity of suspected class A controlled drugs and other weapons involving a considerable number of additional officers and resources from across the area.

The Police were met with a hostile and violent response and a critical incident was declared. A number of people were arrested and remain on police bail pending further investigation.

Given the impact on the local community and clear evidence of serious criminality conducted at the property, Wolverhampton Homes Anti-Social Behaviour Team worked closely with West Midlands Police and applied for a Closure Order to close the premises immediately under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to prevent further criminality and potential disorder taking place.

A Closure Order forbids any persons, including all residents of the property to enter the property for an initial period of 3 months and can be extended on application to the Court. Any breach of the order is an offence which, on conviction, can result in a fine or imprisonment.

The City Council’s Homeless Team is supporting the displaced residents to secure alternative accommodation.

Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Cabinet member for Digital and Community said:

“Such criminality and disorder is incredibly harmful to communities and will not be tolerated. The council, police and Wolverhampton Homes will not hesitate to take robust action in these circumstances to protect the local community.

“Tackling ASB is one of the key priorities for the Safter Wolverhampton Partnership - giving confidence to residents that we are willing to take action and empowering them to report issues that are impacting individuals, communities and businesses.”

Inspector Chris Turner, who covers policing across the local area, said:

“We are committed to reducing anti-social and criminal behaviour across the neighbourhood and we understand the distress and disruption such issues can cause people living locally.

“We always urge people to get in touch if they have concerns or information about criminal activity, as we will always seek to act on the information we receive.”