Chief Constable calls for neighbours to be nosey

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy

Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy has called for the public to be nosey neighbours to help the vulnerable members of our community.

It comes as more and more time is spent by police to protect the growing number of people living with Dementia.

As a Force, GMP deals with many incidents where there has been a reported concern for a vulnerable person who may have gone missing or has not been seen for several days.

The number of these reports is increasing, between January to December 2014 this figure was 22,226 compared to 19,589 the previous year.

There is also a growing concern for the number of people with illnesses such as Dementia being targeted by unscrupulous criminals such as rogue traders.

Sir Peter said: “Clearly the investigation process is much more difficult when the victim has poor memory and the criminals know this. This is why it is so important for neighbours to be vigilant and to keep an eye on those vulnerable members of the community.

“As a nation we are getting older and more and more people are now living with Dementia. In this country there are now around 850,000 people who suffer from it and this figure is set to double.

“When police officers are called to an address because someone has not been seen for a few days it is incredibly helpful when neighbours are able to provide phone numbers for relatives and even better if they know that their neighbour has gone into hospital. Often this can save officers from having to break in.”

The Chief Constable was sent to the address of a 92-year old in Bury during a recent patrol he took part in. The elderly lady had been a victim of a rogue trader who had conned her out of a sum of money for minor roofing work.

Sir Peter added: “I would ask residents to look out for tradesmen calling at the homes of elderly neighbours or apparently doing work and just think about checking out that everything is okay. Asking if everything is alright could prevent a crime occurring or at least ensure that someone is not being pressurised to accept a price.”

As part of Dementia Awareness Week the Force is taking part in a range of activities with the support of the community and partners to help raise awareness of the illness.

If you are looking for advice or for someone to talk to please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 11 22 or visit the Dementia Friends website at www.dementiafriends.org.uk 

If you spot suspicious activity in your area or you believe rogue traders are operating, please contact police on 101. Always call 999 in an emergency. You can also report crime anonymously to Crimestopers on 0800 555 111.