Damages bid rejected following police raid

Date published: 22 September 2014


TWO Oldham brothers whose shop was damaged in a drugs raid have been refused compensation by Greater Manchester Police - even though nothing was found.

Second-hand furniture and antique shop Curiosity Corner in Stanley Road, Chadderton was raided by police in January 2013, after a tip-off the property housed a cannabis farm.

Owners David and Anthony Smith said the raid caused almost £3,000 worth of damage. They have been trying to claim compensation since.

“We’ve been in business for 30 years and we’ve had a good dialogue with the police for a long time,” David Smith, said.

“We understand that if the police have got intelligence, they have to act on it, that’s how the law works. But the fact is that after two and a half hours in our property the police didn’t find anything. We would like them to pay for the damage they did.”

The brothers were passed to the police’s professional standards branch and letters back and forth rejected a claim for compensation. The brothers were told six weeks ago they had the right to appeal.

But in a letter earlier this month the pair were told their claim had been reviewed and denied.

“The shop is all boarded up and doesn’t look appealing anymore,” David Smith said. “Sales have suffered.”

Greater Manchester Police has declined to comment about the case.