Police News: Rochdale South Neighbourhood Team

Inspector Gary Hall

Burglary: Jon Saint George Howarth was charged on 03/03/14 with two burglary dwellings, one of the offences had been committed in Castleton, Rochdale on 22 December 2013 and the other burglary was committed in Heywood on the 29 December 2013. Scott Harrison has already been charged with the above offences; both males are currently remanded and Howarth will appear at Bury & Rochdale Magistrates on 21/03/14.

Theft: A male was charged on 05/03/14 with theft after stealing alcohol from Tesco Extra, Middleton, he was refused bail and a hearing was set for 06/03/14 at Bolton Magistrate Court.

Handling & Theft from Motor Vehicle: On 05/03/14 a female has been charged with handling stolen goods and a male was charged with Theft From Motor Vehicle both live on Nowell Road in Middleton. An ipod was stolen from an insecure vehicle in Altrincham and was later tracked back to the offenders.

Cultivation of Cannabis: A male is helping with enquires with regards to cannabis farms (20 plants) that were found in a bedroom on Boardman Lane, Middleton on 05/03/14.
Possession of class ‘A’ Drug: A male was arrested this morning on Long St, Middleton for the possession of a drug that will be examined, but is reported to be class ‘A’. The male has been taken into custody for interview.

Crime Prevention tips for the week: Beware -Thieves posing as gardeners steal from dementia sufferer.

Two thieves posing as gardeners targeted a woman who suffers from dementia at her home in Blackley.

It happened between 9am and 11am on Wednesday 26 February 2014, when two men attended the address of an 89-year-old woman on Bransby Avenue.

They offered her the service of gardening and partially completed the job: they removed some of the bushes and trees in the back garden, leaving the garden in a complete mess and left in a transit van.

The two men returned the following day and went inside her house without asking for her permission and stole house keys and her purse from her handbag.

They are described as wearing green t-shirts - there are no further descriptions of either man.

Detective Sergeant John Yates, said: “I hope the rest of the community is as sickened as the police are to hear how these two men have stolen from this elderly lady in this manner.

“They targeted an extremely vulnerable woman who suffers from dementia and is very confused.

“We do not know how many times these men have been to her house, we know they have been on at least two occasions, once to carry out the shoddy work in the back garden and again to steel her purse and house keys.

“It was only when a bank cashier - who thought it was out of character for her to go to the bank more than once in a week - contacted the police and brought it to our attention.

“The woman had been in to the bank on three consecutive days and on each occasion has taken out a large amount of money.

“I am appealing for the public’s help to identify these two callous offenders.

“Imagine if this was your grandma or an elderly relative that had fallen victim to these two thieves - if you have any knowledge at all of the people that committed this robbery, then please tell us what you know.

“If you don’t want to pass on information directly to police, you can do this anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101.

Please share this information with as many people as possible to ensure our vulnerable members of the community are aware.

Events that have taken place this week:

05/03/14 PCSO Jefferson attended Harwood Park School in Heywood along with Diane Lodwig the Crime & Anti Social Behaviour Prevention Officer from Rochdale Council, where they spoke to two classes with regards to ASB in the area.

06/03/14 PCSO Walsh attended a ‘Coffee & a Chat’ event at Thomas Moore Hall in Alkrington, Middleton, where he was available to discuss any community issues or give crime prevention advice.

06/03/14 Inspector Hall, along with your Neighbourhood Beat Officers, attended the Middleton Township Meeting, where a time was set aside for any member of the community to raise issues affecting their area. This time was on a trial basis, replacing the Middleton PACT Meetings, this trial has now ended and therefore a meeting with partner agencies has been arranged for Monday 17 March to discuss the way forward with regards to future PACT Meetings.

Events taking place next week:

PCSO George will be attending The Cabbage Patch Pre School in Heywood on Wednesday 12 March, to give a talk on ‘Stranger Danger’ between the hours of 11:00-3:00pm.

PCSO Walsh will be attending Alkrington Day Centre, Middleton on Wednesday 12 March, to give a talk on ‘Vulnerability’ between the hours of 1:15-1:45pm.

PCSO Jefferson & PCSO Shepherd will be on Morrison’s car park in Heywood, in the Anti Social Behaviour Mobile Unit on Friday 14 March between the hours of 5:00-10:00pm. The Officers are on hand to discuss any issues you may have or if you would like crime prevention advice.

PCSO Porter will be attending Springfield Close, Heywood to conduct a ‘Coffee Morning’ between the hours of 10:00-12:00 noon he will discuss any issues you may have or give crime prevention advice

Rochdale South Neighbourhood
0161 856 8701 
rochdalesouth@gmp.police.uk