'Limping man' grabs toddler

Were you on Pool Farm Avenue in Leegomery at around 1.35pm on Monday (15 April)?

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: We are appealing for witnesses to an incident that took place on the footpath near the play park behind the shops.

A three-year-old boy was walking along holding hands with his mum when a man is reported to have grabbed and pulled his arm.

A struggle took place before the man ran off - appearing to have a limp. The boy was uninjured but left shaken by the incident.

The man is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall, in his early to mid 40s, of stocky build.

He is believed to have had dark brown slicked back hair, which was shaved at the sides and may have been tied up in a bun on top of his head.

He had square shaped glasses and had a full beard that was short and scruffy. He was thought to be wearing light blue jeans and a white top and had black gloves on.

Detective Constable Ben Bishop said: "Reports of this nature are always concerning and this incident was upsetting. Investigations are currently ongoing but I would like to reassure residents that police are continuing to conduct regular patrols in the area.

"We are very keen to speak to anyone who was in the area or who saw anyone acting suspiciously at the time. We'd also like anyone who was driving in the car park of the shops on Pool Farm Avenue and has dash cam footage to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident 341N of 15 April.

Motorbike riders urged not to put safety at risk

Motorbike riders are being urged to make sure they're not putting their own safety, and the safety of other road users, at risk.

The reminder comes as West Mercia Police seeks to reinforces its commitment to making roads across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire even safer and coincides with the launch of the 2019 'THINK BIKE' campaign.

Bikers can often be at greater risk and while THINK BIKE aims to increase awareness of the hazards faced by motorbike riders, police also want to make sure bikers are not unnecessarily putting their own lives at risk by riding irresponsibly.

It follows cases where motorbike riders have been riding at excessive speeds or overtaking on double lines.

West Mercia Police Local Policing Assistant Chief Constable, Martin Evans, said: "We know there are some great routes for motorbike riders through our counties and that during the warmer months riders want to make the most of these.

"We have seen cases where the driving behaviour of bikers has caused concern and the rider has unnecessarily put themselves and other road users at risk.

"Bikers can often be at greater risk of being involved in a collision and we want to make sure everything is being done to reduce this.

"All road users have a responsibility in making our roads safer, we know motorbike riders are more vulnerable and would ask that riders make sure they do their bit by not taking unnecessary risks."

Police will be carrying out proactive operations on key routes utilising all sorts of different tactics throughout the summer months to target irresponsible and reckless road users.

More advice on how motorbike riders can stay safe on the roads can be found by visiting the West Mercia Police website: https://www.westmercia.police.uk/article/38893/Motorcycle-safety

Police ask public for help to locate missing Telford man believed to be in Portsmouth

Telford Police are asking the public for information on the whereabouts of 25 year old Ryan Thompson from Telford who was last seen by his family at approximately 15:10 hours on Tuesday 2 April 2019 outside Tesco in the area of Havant, Portsmouth.

Police believe Ryan may be travelling around the south of the country including Godalming, and Camberley in Guildford, Surrey and could be in the company of a female known as 'Kelly'.

Ryan was reported missing by his family on 5 April 2019 who are concerned for his welfare as he has not been heard from in almost a week.

Ryan is described as a white male, 6ft tall, average build with short ginger hair. He has a combination tattoo of the Manchester United badge and a red devil on the inside of his arm. He was last seen wearing a dark coloured tracksuit.

Officers are urgently asking the public for information regarding Ryan's whereabouts.

Police are also asking Ryan to make contact with police by dialling 101 and requesting West Mercia Police so that they can check he is safe and well.

Police and partners thank local community in Wellington

Police and partners have thanked members of the public for their understanding during a pre-planned protest in Wellington.

The protest took place in the town this afternoon, with a counter protest also taking place.

Small numbers attended with a small number also taking part in a counter protest.

Superintendent Paul Moxley said: "I'd like to personally thank people in Wellington this afternoon for their understanding and co-operation while a pre-planned protest took place. We and the Local Authority understand the impact this event will have had on businesses. A small number of people took part in the protest, with a small number also taking part in a counter-protest with both passing smoothly without any cause for concern.

"We really do appreciate the support we get from our local communities, it's not something we ever take for granted and really does help us to be able to do our job in helping keep them safe and disruption to an absolute minimum."

CCTV image released following knifepoint robbery at Telford shop

Police have released a CCTV image following a knifepoint robbery at a shop in Telford.

A man armed with a knife threatened staff at the shop in Majestic Way at around 8pm yesterday (Saturday 13 April).

He left the shop with cash.

Detectives from West Mercia Police would like to speak to the man pictured in connection with the robbery.

Detective Sergeant Lisa Morgan from Telford CID said: "We're treating this robbery very seriously and we're doing everything we can to catch the offender and bring him to justice.

"If you know this man please do not approach him but call police on 101 quoting incident 691n of 13 April 2019 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

"We're linking the incident to another robbery at a shop in Russell Square, Madeley, Telford, at around 6am on Thursday (11 April).

"I'd urge anyone who witnessed either incident, or saw anything suspicious or knows who is responsible to call police as soon as possible."

Nursery provider now has AEDs

A nursery provider now has life-saving devices on hand at 19 of its West Midlands settings thanks to support from the ambulance service and Cardiac Science.

Busy Bees nurseries across the West Midlands were proud to unveil automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at their sites to coincide with Family Safety Week (1st – 5th April).

AEDs can help in the event of someone having a cardiac arrest; when they stop breathing and their heart stops beating.

In October last year, Busy Bees took part in ‘Restart a Heart Day’ with West Midlands Ambulance Service which saw more than 37,000 youngsters receive vital life-saving training in the region. The Trust supported Busy Bee’s in the installations and each AED is now publicly accessible during the nursery opening hours, meaning if there’s a cardiac arrest in the nearby area, the device can be used by a member of the public to help save a life.

The latest AEDs to be installed, supplied by Cardiac Science, are part of a nationwide campaign by Busy Bees which has seen more than 350 AEDs installed in its nurseries across the UK.

Bobby Qayum, the Trust’s Community Response Manager, said: “It’s great to see that Busy Bees has made such a big investment in AEDs. Teaching vital CPR skills and how to recognise a cardiac arrest, are important parts of the work we carry out. The more AEDs that are installed in businesses and public spaces, the more lives that can potentially be saved.”

Jess Sandall, Nursery Manager at Busy Bees St Matthews in Burntwood said; “Protecting and safeguarding the children in our care is our top priority and that’s why we’ve undertaken this potentially lifesaving initiative. We see it as part of our commitment to best practice and to deliver outstanding care to our children, as well as to protect staff, parents and visitors.

“Although we hope that our defibrillator never has to be used, it means that if the worst-case scenario happens, we are able to increase the survival chance of anyone who has a cardiac arrest inside or within minutes of our nursery.”

Photo courtesy of Papillon Communications (left to right): Richard MacDonald from Cardiac Science, Bobby Qayum from WMAS, nursery children from Busy Bees Burntwood, Emily Brimson and Karen Bird from Busy Bees.

With around 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. The chance of a person surviving cardiac arrest falls by 10 per cent for every minutes that passes without an AED being used.

The 19 Busy Bees settings in the West Midlands include:

Busy Bees Birmingham
Busy Bees Birmingham Dartmouth Circus
Busy Bees Birmingham Longbridge
Busy Bees Birmingham QE
Busy Bees Birmingham St James Road
Busy Bees St Matthews
Busy Bees Burton
Busy Bees Coventry Allesley Green
Busy Bees Coventry Walsgrave
Busy Bees Evesham
Busy Bees Leamington Spa
Busy Bees Rugby
Busy Bees Shrewsbury
Busy Bees Solihull Blythe Valley
Busy Bees Solihull Discoveryland
Busy Bees Sutton Coldfield Playtime
Busy Bees Telford Priorslee
Busy Bees Uttoxeter Midway
Busy Bees Walsall

First Responders help cafe

A café in Shrewsbury took delivery of a life-saving defibrillator thanks to the generosity of Telford Community First Responders.

Following the tragic death of a member of the public who suffered a cardiac arrest at the café earlier this year, the owner wanted something positive to come from the incident and began enquiring about purchasing a defibrillator.

After mentioning to a friend of her idea, stop. Coffee Shop owner Nicola Dalton was introduced to Telford First Responders Coordinator and Chair, Nick Freeman, who was thrilled to help.

Nick said: “As it happens, we had one spare automated external defibrillator (AED) after obtaining a lottery grant last year for our Community First Responder (CFR) scheme to replace our own AEDs, so I offered to gift it to this good cause.

“Whilst slightly out of our patch, we work closely with local Shrewsbury First Responders and our scheme was only too happy to help support the community to further improve cardiac arrest survival.”

The defibrillator was officially handed over to Nicola at the café on Sunday 17th March. Nicola said: “It was great to be able to give the good news of obtaining an AED to the staff who witnessed the incident which was nice. It’s a positive thing to have come out of a very sad situation and whilst I hope that this defibrillator is never used, it’s reassuring to know that it’s there should an emergency arise again.”

The AED will be on hand to help if someone suffers a cardiac arrest in the local area. Initially it will be accessible only during the café’s opening times, but Nicola is hoping to install a secure cabinet, with help from Shrewsbury Rotary Club, on the outside of her café to house the device to ensure it is publicly accessible 24/7 when you dial 999.

Pictured (left to right): Coffee Shop owner, Nicola Dalton with Telford First Responders Coordinator and Chair, Nick Freeman

Car crash at Quatt

At 3pm today, Sunday, 14 April, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service received a call reporting that a Road Traffic Collision had taken place near Bridgnorth, on the A442 at Quatt.

Four fire engines including the Incident Support Unit and the Wellington-based Rescue Tender were mobilised from Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock and Wellington. 

An Operations officer was also in attendance.

A spokesperson said: "An HGV had left the road and come to rest in a precarious position onthe grass bank.

"Fire crews employed specialist Holmatro cutting equipment to extricate the occupants of the vehicle."