Before you plug in your Christmas lights this year be sure to give them a thorough check for any signs of damage! 🎄 If you're lighting up the outside of your home, only use lights designed for that purpose and always remember to switch them off before you go to bed! #EFSW pic.twitter.com/IdUAfXWl0s
— West Midlands Fire Service (@WestMidsFire) November 29, 2020
Coventry
Crews remain on scene at incident in Wood End, Coventry
Crews remain on scene at incident in Wood End, Coventry. Aerial appliance is now being used to extinguish small pockets of fire in roof space. Our crews will be on scene throughout the day checking for fire spread and making the property safe. pic.twitter.com/V966LJcXT0
— West Midlands Fire Service (@WestMidsFire) November 28, 2020
Coventry Village square gets fun makeover
West Midlands Police transformed a Coventry village square into a floor-paint play area for children as part of our pledge to improve the community and help families.
The project has seen Hillfields Square given a fun makeover with the addition of a painted bike and scooter track, hop scotch, board games and mazes.
Funding is from a national Safer Streets initiative which provides money for community and crime prevention schemes.
Officers from the St Michaels Neighbourhood Police Team 3 prepared a detailed bid for cash to fund improvements − and it saw them land a cheque from the government of more than half a million pounds.
PCSO Lauren Galloway has driven the project forward alongside Coventry City Council and Citizen Housing. She said: “Around 1,000 local residents overlook Hillfields Square and many of them are young families living in the five high-rise tower blocks.
“The nearest park is about half a mile away so we consulted with local people about ways we could help and there was overwhelming support for this painted play area.
“There is a road track where youngsters can ride their bikes and scooters and learn road safety, plus snakes and ladders and other games. Some of the wording is in six different languages to reflect the area’s diversity.
“It’s ready for use now but we’ll officially open on 9 January when we’ll also hold a bike and scooter marking session to help youngsters protect their new Christmas gifts.”
More of the Safer Streets money will be spent in Hillfields on initiatives aimed at reducing crime, including more CCTV cameras, improved lighting and supplying residents with home security packs.
West Midlands Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Waheed Saleem, said: “Earlier this we were successful in a bid to secure £549,040 in funding to improve community safety in the Hillfields area of Coventry.
“I am pleased to see that this funding is being used to provide a place for young people to come together in a safe environment.
“Young people who live in this area have limited options when it comes to getting involved in positive activity and I am pleased to see this funding is providing somewhere safe for children to play. Ensuring young people have positive activities to get involved is key to preventing crime.”
And Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, and ward councillor in Hillfields, added: “This is the first stage in a series of improvements to the area. We want the square to be a place the community can enjoy.
“By giving it a makeover we hope children and young people who helped suggest ideas for the artwork will be encouraged to play and meet outside.
“I’m really looking forward to other schemes being rolled out in the coming months that benefit residents and have a positive impact on the quality of life in the area.”
Coventry children being drawn into gangs. Police release drive-by shooting video. – Just how safe is coventry?
Police released a shocking video of a drive-by shooting in Coventry that occurred on 13th March 2020.
#WATCH: This is the shocking moment a teenager is shot dead yards from a #Coventry nursery.
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) November 26, 2020
Today a man (20) and boy (16) were convicted of Abdul Xasan’s murder.
It’s a tragic case that illustrates the grim reality of children being lured into gangs: https://t.co/jB0jkjXhXJ pic.twitter.com/yKzxNfjDII
One teenager shot dead. A man and boy set to be jailed for life. The grim reality of children being drawn into gangs was laid bare again today (26 Nov) after two young men were convicted of murder.
The gunman was aged 19 and his co-conspirator just 15 when they fatally shot Abdul Xasan in a drive-by killing in Coventry earlier this year.
Mr Xasan – himself just 19-years-old – was gunned down as he walked along Harnall Lane into Adelaide Street in Hillfields just after 2.30pm on 13 March.
A post mortem examination revealed he suffered two gunshot wounds to his back which caused catastrophic internal injuries. He died in the street.
The shooter and his child getaway driver made off in a VW Golf Type R – stolen in Rugby the previous day – and arranged for others to set it on fire in an attempt to destroy forensic evidence.
But they weren’t on the run for long.
We quickly identified them as potential suspects and both were arrested in the early hours of the next morning after we raided their home addresses in Coventry.
Both were electronically tagged at the time due to their suspected involvement in other offences – and we seized tagging information that showed they were in the street at the time of the murder.
Shotgun cartridges found in the burned out car were also matched by ballistics experts to spent cartridges recovered from the murder scene.
Despite strong evidence against them the teenagers denied murder – but following a four week trial at Birmingham Crown Court they were found guilty.
The jury found the gunman, now aged 20 and from Longford, unanimously guilty and reached a majority verdict on the boy, now aged 16, who is from the Stoke area of Coventry.
They will be sentenced on 22 December; both will receive life custodial sentences.
For legal reasons we are unable to name the killers at this stage.
The offenders were linked to the C2 gang in Coventry while the victim – who’d been arrested just days before the murder for possessing an imitation gun – was connected to a rival group known as RB7.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Griffiths from our Homicide Unit led the investigation.
He said: “There had been ongoing tensions between the two groups, including firearms discharges, in the lead up to the murder.
“What happened was outrageous: a shotgun fired several times in a public street in the middle of the afternoon. It happened not far from a nursery. Other people not connected to either gang could easily have been injured.
“It’s a really tragic case and a stark reminder of the consequences of getting drawn into gangs. One young life has been lost and the lives of two others, including a young child, have been utterly ruined.
“We can help people who want to turn their backs on gang culture. Along with our partners including charities and support groups, we can help young people make better choices.
“But for those who insist of affiliating themselves to violent gangs there is a very strong possibility they are going to be seriously injured, killed or spend much of their life locked up in jail.”
Which tier is Coventry in ?
Updated 26/11/2020
Coventry is in Tier 3. It has been announced this lunchtime that Coventry along with neighbouring areas of Birmingham, Warwickshire and Solihull are in Tier 3. A shock decision as it was expected that Coventry would return to pre-lockdown level of tier 2.
The list provided by GOV.UK is as follows :
Tier 1: Medium alert
South East
- Isle of Wight
South West
- Cornwall
- Isles of Scilly
Tier 2: High alert
East of England
- Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes
- Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough
- Essex, Thurrock and Southend on Sea
- Hertfordshire
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
East Midlands
- Northamptonshire
- Rutland
London
- all 32 boroughs plus the City of London
North West
- Cumbria
- Liverpool City Region
- Warrington and Cheshire
South East
- Bracknell Forest
- Brighton and Hove
- Buckinghamshire
- East Sussex
- Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton
- Oxfordshire
- Reading
- Surrey
- West Berkshire
- West Sussex
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Wokingham
South West
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Devon
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor
- Wiltshire and Swindon
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
- Worcestershire
Yorkshire
- North Yorkshire
- York
Tier 3: Very High alert
East Midlands
- Derby and Derbyshire
- Leicester and Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
North East
- North East Combined Authority:
- County Durham
- Gateshead
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- South Tyneside
- Sunderland
- Tees Valley Combined Authority:
- Darlington
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Stockton-on-Tees
North West
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Blackpool
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
South East
- Kent and Medway
- Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)
South West
- Bristol
- North Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
West Midlands
- Birmingham and Black Country
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
- Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull
Yorkshire and The Humber
- The Humber
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
23rd November 2020:
Currently we don’t know what tier will Coventry be in after lockdown. The government will announce on Thursday 26th November 2020 which tiers apply to Coventry and all other regions of England.
The new tier system was announced on the Monday briefings and has been published on the gov.uk website. The Coventry council website will also be updated with the latest information when announced.
Will Coventry be in Tier 2 again ?
Coventry entered lockdown under Tier two limitations. It implemented a restriction on families mixing indoors. It is expected that Coventry will return to a tier two system.
Tier 2 has received a grilling on social media over some of the regulations. Limits on household numbers and drinking in pubs remains however an event can contain 1000 people.
Am I getting this right? Under new Tier 2, up to a thousand people can gather indoors for a concert. Yet in restaurants, you can only mix in your ‘support bubble’. And you cannot have a drink at all in a pub or bar unless with a ‘substantial meal’? Please tell me I’m wrong
— Tom Parker Bowles (@tomparkerbowles) November 23, 2020
Someone explain the Tier 2 rule where you’re allowed 1000 people indoors for an event but you’re not allowed one other person from another household in your own indoors?
— Emma Kennedy (@EmmaKennedy) November 23, 2020
In other covid news, Zarah Sultana MP has raised the question over Coventry’s hospitals re-instating parking payments during another lockdown.
The Government said NHS staff wouldn’t have to pay for parking during the pandemic.
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) November 19, 2020
But charges have been reimposed at Coventry’s hospital & elsewhere.
My letter to the PM, demanding free parking is brought back & made permanent, backed by 42 MPs, trade unions & campaigners 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/ZqJwtDYsOY
90 minute show – 23rd May 2012
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In this week’s show: The brutal history of the great British cuppa; tactile plans at York and Coventry cathedrals; the final part of how the bouncing bomb worked; Hugh talks about mobile phones; Dave visits the new music buy valium nz group at the Resource Centre and an Outlook on Life with Cliff.
All this as well as the usual mix of news, sport, what’s on, outlook for women and postbag.
[Read more…] about 90 minute show – 23rd May 2012