West Midlands Police to support local communities through Hamas-Israel conflict

They have increased patrols across parts of the region to provide a visible presence

Author: Claire EmmsPublished 10th Oct 2023

West Midlands Police has stepped up protection of communities amid the Hamas-Israel conflict

The conflict has a far-reaching impact on communities around the world, and so officers are extending their full support to those affected in the West Midlands.

They have increased patrols across parts of the region to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities.

Working with partners they are listening to local concerns and continuously assessing the impact on communities to ensure those who live and work within them feel safe.

Additional officers have already been deployed to key locations to reassure those who live, work, or study nearby; to prevent crime; and to ensure an efficient response to any incidents which are reported.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell said: “We know this is a worrying time for some of our communities and our thoughts are with those who are affected. We are doing everything we can to keep people safe and ensure they feel reassured by our presence.

“Our local policing teams are monitoring the situation in communities across the region and additional officers are already patrolling key locations to prevent crime and respond to incidents. Anyone who has concerns or who experiences threatening behaviour or is worried about their safety can approach our officers directly or get in touch with us via our normal reporting channels.”

We are aware that the ongoing conflict may lead to further protests over the coming days. We will ensure that an appropriate policing plan is in place in order to balance the right to protest against any disruption to communities. Behaviour that crosses the line into criminality will not be tolerated and equally we will take the strongest action against perpetrators of hate crime because we know that it has a devasting impact on individual victims and targeted communities.

You can call us on 101 to report a crime. Always call 999 in an emergency. You can also report crime anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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