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Inside ‘wild west’ town ‘held to ransom’ by gun-wielding drugs gangs where cops are ‘too scared’ to catch crooks
TERRIFIED residents believe that their town is being “held to ransom” by feral drug gangs - and even claim that cops are TOO SCARED to turn up.
Warring gangs are bringing misery to locals in Caldmore and Palfrey in Walsall, West Midlands.
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Residents claim that yobs brazenly walk down the street waving around bats and machetes, while addicts openly take drugs in the street.
A kebab shop has been blasted by gunmen in broad daylight, and junkies even queue outside of an alleged crack den to get their daily fix.
Ex-soldier Steve Brain, 47, told Sun: “I walk around here and it scares me. Two months ago I saw a group of lads attacking a lad with bats and a machete.
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“I called the police and not one turned up - not a single officer.
“The police just don’t come up here. You see more traffic wardens than you do police.
“My mum used to say after 10pm it’s just cops and robbers. But here it’s just the robbers - no cops. It’s like they are too scared to get involved.”
Fed-up locals say they have been blighted by hit-and-runs, dangerous driving and a spike in vehicle thefts.
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They believe the hike in crime is linked to two feuding drugs gangs in the area.
In February, Mr Brain was getting his haircut when he saw gunmen enter the K2 kebab shop and open fire.
He added: “I was in the barbers. Two guys walked in and they just went ‘bang, bang, bang’.
"Then they just walked out nonchalant as anything, like they’d gone in to buy some chips.
“It was as brazen as you like. The place is like the Wild West - it’s disgusting.
“After 10pm at night there’s no way I would come out. I’ve seen a bloke just walking down the street who was pinned up against the wall and head-butted for no reason.
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“Decent people here are being held to ransom.”
Busy Caldmore Road has become a haven for anti-social behaviour, with locals terrified to leave their homes.
Some residents, who are too scared to be named in fear of being targeted, say police are rarely seen.
They say the epicentre is a drug den, operating in plain sight, which they joke “is the busiest shop in Walsall”.
One said: “They will start at 4am in the morning just queuing up outside and shouting and screaming for drugs.
“They will put the windows in if they don’t get what they want.
“There was a woman the other day literally bouncing house bricks off the windows. I called the police but they didn’t come.”
COP OUT: NEARLY 1,000 CRIMES IN A MONTH
Terrified Walsall residents say their "Wild West
In June and July last year 874 crimes were logged during a horrifying crime spree according to the official Police UK database.
This month a woman was stabbed near to a infants’ school in Palfrey, and in January, a man was seriously injured in a broad daylight drive-by shooting.
In July last year, two men - aged 30 and 31 - were stabbed in the street on Caldmore Green.
But crime stats for the postcode show barely any offences recorded by police in recent months, and just six so far this year.
Despite the residents fears a only 32 offences have been recorded since the huge spike last year.
Many believe that cops are too terrified to attend when they're called, making it a "no go" area.
Another local, who lives near to the drug haven, added: “The addicts go there as much as they go to the shops,
“It operates quite openly and the police have really struggled with it.
“The weather is quite bad at the moment, but often you see them outside on the grass doing their stuff.
“It’s completely in plain sight - they couldn’t care less if they are seen.”
Crime stats for the postcode show barely any offences recorded by police in recent months, and just six so far this year.
Yet estate agent Mohammed Ali, 48, told how homes in the area are still in demand - despite the troubles. He recently sold a three-bed semi for £200,000.
Mr Ali, of Great Move Estate Agents, admitted: “There are absolutely anti-social behaviour and crime issues. There are problems with drug dealing, mostly, violent crimes, gang crimes.
The demand is probably about 40% more than other areas of Walsall.
Mohammed Ali, Estate Agent
“It’s a mixture of drug dealers and violent gangs.
“But apart from that, property prices are still really good. There’s very high demand because of the facilities that are in place for different ethnic backgrounds, the mixture of shops and the religious places that there are.
“The demand is probably about 40% more than other areas of Walsall. Anything that comes up here goes straight away. I’ve had people asking to pay under the table to get the property.
"So even with the problems, people still want to live here."
A community group issued an alert this week over “open criminality” in Caldmore and Palfrey, where council signs warning of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour are faded and weather-worn.
In an anonymous statement, they said: "Residents live in fear in their own homes. “They feel unsafe to go out, even to the shops, or the park, and walk around the local area.
"They are fearful about reporting crimes and speaking out about it due to a lack of protection.
"They fear they will be targeted if they speak out. Residents are not able to live normally, relaxed in their own homes, like they used to."
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Walsall Police Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby, said: "Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes and the communities where they live.
“We work with Neighbourhood Watch and Street Watch groups to get a clear picture of the issues which most impact on people.
"This information, along with our own intelligence, means we carry out targeted operations and patrols to address concerns such as violence, burglary and vehicle crime.
“It’s important we listen to our communities and we really value the information they provide.
"I intend to hold a public meeting soon so we can further understand people’s concerns and take action.
"We also do a lot of engagement with schools to deter young people crime and work with the West Midlands Violence and Reduction Unit.
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"Alongside the council’s Community Safety Team, I am committed to keeping people safe and reducing crime.
"We've actually seen a decrease in overall crime across Caldmore and Palfrey of more than 10 per cent. We know there's still more to do, but we remain determined to keep driving down crime across the borough."
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