Two held in St James’s day of action

POLICE arrested two people in a day of action in the St James’s ward of Oldham.

A suspected stolen BMW was recovered and 22 cannabis plants and 11 large bags of dry cannabis ready to be bagged were seized in the crackdown.

One man was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and was bailed until April 23. A second was arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis and abstracting electricity. He was bailed until April 9.

One person was cautioned for possession of cannabis during the operation carried out by the Oldham East Neighbourhood Policing Team on Friday. Taking part were police and partners at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Oldham Council, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). They carried out a host of activities from community clean-ups and warrants to a static Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) point at the A672 Ripponden Road. HMRC tested 13 vehicles for red diesel.

Oldham Council issued three fixed-penalty notices, each carrying a £300 fine, to motorists for driving without an appropriate waste-carriers licence. One person was issued an £80 fine for littering.

Officers carried out further checks at roads in and around the surrounding area. Scrap metal checks were made at neighbouring scrap yards and two vehicles were seized for no insurance with one person issued with a £200 fine for the offence. One person was also issued with a £200 fine for driving without an operator’s licence and another £200 fine was issued for failing to keep the driver records.

Insp Gaynor Wardle said: “Communities have told us that they want to see criminals taken off the streets and I hope that today’s action highlights how seriously we take these crimes.”

The initiative is part of an ongoing crackdown on the number of offenders profiting from a criminal lifestyle. Oldham East and Oldham Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing Teams can be contacted on 0161-856 9028, 0161-856 8903 or email: oldhameast.npt@gmp.police.uk and oldhamtowncentre.npt@gmp.police.uk