Police News - Rochdale South (Middleton and Heywood)

Inspector Steve Hanlon said: "It has been a busy week for the Rochdale South INPT Team. Our priorities remain tackling burglaries and ensuring victims of Domestic Abuse get the best possible help and support. We had 13 reports of burglaries during the past week. Half of which were in the Hopwood Hall area.

North Middleton – 6 (1 Domestic Property and 5 Sheds)
East Middleton – 2 (1 Domestic Property and 1 Shed)
South Middleton – 1 (1 Shed)
West Middleton – 0
North Heywood – 2 (1 Domestic Property)
West Heywood – 2 (1 Domestic Property and 1 Garage)
Hopwood Hall – 0

"We understand burglary impacts on people’s lives long after the offenders are gone. This is why we continue to give this our utmost attention. We have launched our Winter ‘Dark Knights’ Operation, this is aimed at targeting offenders and focussing on ways to prevent offences taking place.

"One thing we have noted is number of burglaries taking place due to insecurity and homes left in darkness. Please see below crime prevention tips to reduce the likelihood of your home being burgled.

"Our officers are undertaking daily checks on suspects and giving attention to the hotspot areas." 

Operation Frosty

Opportunist thieves will look to prey on motorists who leave their car empty and unlocked with the engine running during frosty mornings police advice.

Lock it or lose it - that’s the message from police as drivers in Middleton and Heywood are warned to take care of their vehicles with temperatures set to plummet.

With temperatures falling below zero officers are reminding people across the force area to never leave their vehicles with the engine running while they de-ice their car.

Last winter a total of 48 cars were stolen from driveways on frosty mornings while their owners popped inside leaving them to warm up outside their homes.

Jackie Bell, GMP Crime Reduction Adviser, is reinforcing the warning to never wander off and leave your car running to defrost.

She said: "It may be surprising but we continue to see people leaving their cars with the keys in on their drives on icy mornings. It takes an opportunistic thief just seconds to jump into a vehicle and drive it off so it really isn’t worth the risk.

“Car security has a come a long way but by leaving keys in the car and the engine running it couldn’t be easier for someone to steal it. Sometimes people think they are being security conscious by locking the door of the car with a spare set of keys, while leaving the other set in the ignition. However thieves will quickly and happily smash a window in order to drive away in your vehicle."

In addition to the loss of a car, insurance companies will often refuse to pay out when vehicles have been stolen in this way, adding to the stress. If house keys are taken as well, drivers are also making their homes vulnerable.

The police advice is to clear windscreens with de-icer and a scraper and sit in the vehicle while the heater de-mists the windscreen.

Anyone who spots a person acting suspiciously is urged to call 101. Those that see a crime being committed should call 999. Anyone who has any information about vehicle crime can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.