10Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Great turnout for community safety meeting

Great turnout for community safety meeting

Borough news
Grotton Pavilion welcomed a substantial – if suitably socially distanced – audience to a meeting with the local police team, Greenfield Community Safety organiser Lee Hudson, and Dobcross organiser Neal Killan. Local resident Alicia Marland, who set up the event and is coordinating the group, welcomed the positive response from the community, and thanked the contributors for their input. Alicia said: “Thanks to all the residents who attended tonight's community crime watch meeting in Grotton. What a fantastic turnout.  “It was a brilliant presentation from Lee who started the Greenfield scheme in 2017 who has successfully reduced crime through local initiatives and working closely with the police.” The idea of the community crime group is to have a simple, coordinated group which can alert local residents to potential issues in the area – whether that’s…
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04Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Christmas burglaries in your area going unsolved

Borough news, Saddleworth News
Figures reveal over eight in 10 Christmas burglaries in Greater Manchester go unsolved Most burglaries committed in Greater Manchester during the Christmas period go unsolved by the police, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. 3,555 burglaries in the Greater Manchester area went unsolved by police in the period between October and December last year. Overall, 87.6% of burglary cases in the Greater Manchester area recorded between October and December over the past five years went unsolved. This compares to 84.6% burglaries going unsolved during the rest of the year. The figures also reveal there is usually a spike in burglaries over the Christmas period in the area. In the last five years, police recorded an average of 402 domestic burglaries per week in October, November and December. This…
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28Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Five in six Christmas burglaries unsolved by police

Five in six Christmas burglaries unsolved by police

Parliamentary news
11% more burglaries of homes over the Christmas period than in the rest of the year.84% of Christmas burglaries go unsolved by the police.44,220 burglaries committed in October to December last year were closed without a suspect being identified. New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed an 11% spike in burglaries over the Christmas period, five in six of which go unsolved by police. In the last five years, police recorded an average of 5,290 domestic burglaries per week in October, November and December, compared to 4,751 a week over the rest of the year. The Liberal Democrat analysis also shows that domestic burglaries committed over the festive period are more likely to go unsolved. 84% cases recorded in the last three months of the year are closed with…
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17Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
22,000 fraud cases dropped by the police last year, new figures show

22,000 fraud cases dropped by the police last year, new figures show

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have accused the Home Secretary Priti Patel of being “asleep at the wheel” in the fight against fraud, after the party revealed that over 22,000 investigations into fraud cases were dropped by police last year. Analysis of Home Office figures shows that between April 2020 and March 2021, 22,420 fraud cases were closed without a suspect being identified, an increase of 20% on the previous 12 months. Only 9% (4,853) of all the 51,870 cases closed in 2020/21 resulted in a suspect being charged. The Liberal Democrats are demanding an urgent government strategy to tackle the fraud epidemic, support victims and catch the criminals responsible. Online fraud has soared during the Covid pandemic, with internet banking fraud more than doubling between 2019 and 2020. Those falling victim…
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10Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Police reforms and PwC report publication ‘eagerly awaited’

Borough news
The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is ‘eagerly awaiting’ Friday 10 September, for this is the day that Greater Manchester’s new Police chief reveals his plan to reshape policing across the city region and the Mayor of Greater Manchester finally publishes a secret report into police failings. Councillor Sykes has previously written to Mayor Andy Burnham demanding a report prepared in the spring at public expense by accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers be published. His requests have met with obfuscation and outright refusal as Mayor Burnham kept the report under wraps during his re-election campaign and whilst a new Chief Constable was being appointed. The report allegedly exposes grave police failings; failings that Councillor Sykes has also repeatedly raised in correspondence with the…
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06Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Unsung heroes in our overlooked emergency services deserve government cash

Unsung heroes in our overlooked emergency services deserve government cash

Borough news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats want to see government financial support for the UK’s mountain and cave rescue services; air ambulance services; and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. At the next meeting of the Full Council (Wednesday 8 Sept, 6pm), Crompton Councillor Dave Murphy and Shaw Councillor Hazel Gloster will be calling for government cash for these unsung emergency services run by courageous and selfless volunteers. “With the ending of COVID restrictions, more people will be out and about on our moors or visiting the seaside, and there will be greater demands on these services as a result”, said Councillor Murphy. “It is great that the public have historically given generously to support these services, but after the lockdown, a great many people will be losing their jobs and charitable donations…
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28Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government’s Crime Initiative: “Beggars belief” officers weren’t consulted

Government’s Crime Initiative: “Beggars belief” officers weren’t consulted

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that senior police officers say they weren't consulted on the Government's new crime initiative, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:"It beggars belief that the Government would show such contempt for the police and victim groups alike.  "Far too often they are taking people for granted.  "They would rather write their policies on the back of an envelope than consult those on the front line who already know that increased stop and search doesn’t reduce violent crime."
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13Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
GM Mayor says Police report to remain secret until ‘appropriate’ to publish it

GM Mayor says Police report to remain secret until ‘appropriate’ to publish it

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is ‘disappointed’ to hear that the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham does not intend to publish a report he commissioned about the failings of Greater Manchester Police until it is deemed ‘appropriate’. Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “This report was paid for with public money to identify the failings of a public service also paid for with public money, so my view is the sooner it is in the public domain the better. I am glad that the Mayor has at least finally responded (after a reminder), but this is a letter which says nothing, gives no real promises and sets no deadline as to when this report will see the light of day. “The Oldham Liberal Democrat Group will continue to…
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29Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Most wanted: damning police report still remains at large

Most wanted: damning police report still remains at large

Borough news
One month after Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to Andy Burnham requesting publication of a report into the management and performance of Greater Manchester Police, the Greater Manchester Labour Mayor has failed to honour his promise to make the report public. Mayor Burnham contrived to delay publishing the report before his mayoral re-election, claiming that it would be inappropriate to do so before the new Police chief, Chief Constable Stephen Watson QPM, was sworn in. That happened over a month ago and the report has yet to see the light of day. Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “It is unsurprising really that Mayor Burnham, who also acts as Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner, doesn’t want to publish this report as I understand it is critical about…
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22Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must drop rights-breaching protest crackdown law

Government must drop rights-breaching protest crackdown law

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to remove Part 3 from its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, as a new report from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights says it “would increase those restrictions on non-violent protest in a way that we believe is inconsistent with our rights”. Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Priti Patel’s protest crackdown law is dangerous and draconian. The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental human right, and has always been a crucial part of our democratic society. “As the Joint Committee on Human Rights makes clear, these new laws would undermine that right. They are part of the Conservative Government’s anti-democratic attempts to silence any opposition to its policies, and the Liberal Democrats will fiercely…
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