ONE of Bromsgrove's leading police officers has promised the force is on the case of drug dealers bringing crime into the district.

Bromsgrove has been hit by several serious and violent assaults and robberies since the lifting of lockdown, prompting a wave of concern from residents and Advertiser readers.

And while not all can be attributed to drugs, Inspector Lee Page admitted a 'County Lines' issue - dealers bringing drugs into Bromsgrove from elsewhere - is a top police priority at the moment.

Insp Page said: "During lockdown, there was a decrease in crime levels so I don't think we are seeing a particular trend or spike, compared to the levels before lockdown.

"But what we can't get away from is the fact we do have issues with County Lines operations in Bromsgrove, drug dealers coming into the town from bigger cities.

"And with that type of criminality, it brings with it incidents of anti-social behaviour, violence and theft.

"I'm not saying all violent crime in the town is linked to it - but there is an element of it."

The inspector pointed to a recent drugs bust in Charford as proof the police are dismantling the operations but insisted they need the community's help to continue that work.

He added: "County Lines is a priority for us and we are working day in, day out with agencies such as Bromsgrove District Council, the Safer Borough Partnership, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust and the British Transport Police, to intercept these County Lines networks and take action against them.

"But what I would say to the community is that if anyone has any particular concerns, they must get in touch with us.

"The more we know about local concerns, the more we can direct our resources to where the problems are."

West Mercia Police have recently enjoyed an influx of new officers and Insp. Page added that he hoped that would provide extra reassurance to residents.

Addressing recent incidents in Sanders Park, he added: "We are out there on patrol on a daily basis.

"There is an organised recruitment drive nationally and the number of officers is going up - hopefully residents will notice an increase in our presence."