100 arrests in 21 hours

Ralsoton Dodd, 25, was sent to prison for nine years after stabbing another man three times in the back.

But he was released from HMP Thameside after court officials instead wrote nine months on his forms.

Last week, however, as part of a blitz by police in the West Midlands, Dodd was arrested in Handsworth.

He was immediately recalled to prison. His crime was committed in Islington.

Dodd was one of 100 wanted people rounded up in 21 hours by police.

In Wolverhampton an empty safe which had been stolen in a burglary in Bank Street, near Fallings Park was recovered.

In Sandwell man was arrested for robbery at knife-point, while later in the day officers detained a 50-year-old man in West Bromwich on suspicion of sending malicious communications.

And in Dudley a boy at Castle High School was arrested on suspicion of possession of a prohibited weapon and a machete seized.

The arrests resulted in courts in Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton packed out and temporarily unable to take any further suspects.

Arrangements were immediately taken to use the region’s other courthouses.

The initiative last Tuesday saw all on-duty officers temporarily suspend administration work.

They were instead sent on to the streets in coordinated and targeted patrols to bring in criminals and support victims.

Of the 99 remaining people arrested, 54 were immediately sent to court, including 29 who received a combine punishment of four years in prison and £600 in fines.

The remaining were kept in custody as inquiries were progressed.

Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Boycott, said: “I was closely monitoring all of the activity and was immensely proud of what we achieved.

“All out days – like every day – is about our service to the public. It’s about doing the right thing for them and improving the service they receive from us.”

The force has launched a community messaging tool to provide residents with policing news.

The blitz took place between 3am on Tuesday and 6am Wednesday.