Day of reckoning as 131 are arrested

A TOTAL of 131 arrests were made in Oldham last week as part of a hard-hitting clampdown by Greater Manchester Police.

Suspected criminals were picked up during raids in which Oldham police executed 18 search warrants.

The clampdown, dubbed Operation Reckoning, was part of a force-wide initiative that involved 110 raids from Monday October 17 to Sunday October 23.

Suspects were arrested on suspicion of theft, drug dealing and other crimes during the raids that aimed to curb a pre-Christmas rise in burglaries and thefts.

Across Greater Manchester, 708 people were arrested while police seized £79,635 from 14 raids under the Proceeds of Crime Act. A police spokesman said: “This week of action is the first of many clampdowns planned for the coming months to ensure that burglars and other criminals face a cold, hard winter and a bleak Christmas.

“Burglary and related crimes can increase at this time of year as offenders use the dark evenings to target vulnerable homes. Criminals also tend to get more active in the run up to Christmas, targeting homes that they know will be full of valuables intended as gifts.”

Householders can help to protect themselves by keeping doors and windows locked, setting burglar alarms and keeping lights on during late afternoon and early evening to deter thieves.

Oldham figures show a 15 per cent reduction in burglary from April to September compared with the same period last year. That amounts to 111 fewer victims. County-wide, the figure is 12 per cent, equating to 2,255 fewer burglary victims.

Suspicious activity can be reported directly to police on 0161-872 5050 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111.