West Midlands Police made record number of arrests as calls increase during England match
The force says demand rose hugely yesterday ahead of and after England's World Cup semi-final with Argentina
Last night saw an unprecedented rise in arrests and emergency calls across the West Midlands coinciding with England's semi-final World Cup match against Argentina.
Police apprehended 226 individuals over the past 24 hours, setting a record for arrests between June and July.
This far exceeded the average of 188 daily arrests typically seen during this period.
The match also contributed to the surge, with calls to emergency services soaring significantly.
Between 10pm and 3am on 15th July, over 1,000 emergency calls were made compared to around 500 normally seen on a midweek evening.
Despite the sharp increase, Force Contact officers responded swiftly, answering 999 calls within three to four seconds.
Lyndsey Bailey-Smith, Strategic Business Lead for Force Contact, commended the efforts of staff: “We have seen a significant increase in calls during the World Cup and especially post England matches.
“This has put a strain on our service however, our officers and staff have kept an average of only three to four seconds to answer 999 calls which is only a second longer than our daily average of two seconds.
“This has been a significant effort by everyone in Force Contact to ensure we are picking up the phone to emergency incidents as quickly as possible and are keeping our communities safe.”
Disorder in Solihull Town Centre
In Solihull, six people were arrested following violent disturbances after England's match.
Large crowds gathered in the town centre where bottles and glasses were thrown, and a 65-year-old woman was assaulted, though not seriously injured.
Police quickly issued a dispersal order to manage the situation.
Those arrested include two men aged 18 and 27, three people aged 18, 17 and 21 each facing multiple charges including assaulting police officers and possession of Class A drugs.
A 16-year-old girl was also arrested for a public order offence but has since been bailed.
Neighborhood Chief Inspector Lucy Wilson, for Solihull, addressed the incidents: “We won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour on our streets, it places innocent members of the public in danger when they are trying to enjoy their evening, but also our officers who are simply doing their job and keeping the public safe.
“We had plenty of resources available and were ready to deal with any incidents that occurred, this resulted in us quickly putting a dispersal order in place.
“Our enquiries are ongoing, but I would urge anyone who was in the area last night and witnessed any crime or has information to come forward and make a report.”
Anyone with information or footage from Solihull is urged to contact police by calling 101 or using the Live Chat on the West Midlands Police website, citing incident number 5948 of 15th July.