Shropshire hit by massive crimewave
Tuesday 15th November 2011, 11:00AM GMT.
Gangs of criminals have sparked an unprecedented crimewave across Shropshire – with six homes a day falling victim to burglars.
More than 70 homes have been broken into across the county in the last two weeks, with organised criminals blamed for the crime spree.
Police said there had been six break-ins in Telford and a further half a dozen in Shrewsbury over the weekend bringing the total since the start of the month to 73. Jewellery, cash and cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have been taken in the raids.
It comes as:
- A second poppy tin was taken in the space of a week from a Whitchurch church.
- A towering landmark turbine was stolen from the grounds of a St Martins school.
- Raiders snatched thousands of pounds of jewellery from homes in Oswestry, Telford and Shrewsbury.
Police said most of the break-ins in Shropshire had been in the Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth areas.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards, from West Mercia Police, said officers were pleading with the public for information to catch the gangs. He said: “I’ve got a number of leads but I need intelligence from within the community to get a breakthrough.
“There has been a very sharp increase in burglaries in the Shrewsbury area and I would say it is becoming unprecedented with the numbers we are now seeing.
“I need people to actually lock their doors, put their lights on and take the steps to warn off potential criminals.”
Jewellery worth thousands of pounds was also stolen from a home in Caer Road, Oswestry, on Saturday.
Over the weekend there were house burglaries in Canon Street, Abbots Way and Windermere Road in Shrewsbury. Anyone with information on the burglaries, or who witnesses a break-in, should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Leader – Lock up and keep your eyes peeled
By David Seadon
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Massive crimewave? Really? Have any of your reporters ever visited a city?
Get a grip!
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A significant amount of the police service seem to spend their working lives either sat in council, PACT or diverse group meetings, just a quick observation, you are unlikely to find many ne’erdowells there, cut out the 9-5 tea and bikkies and try putting a hat on and getting out in the evenings and of a night time, if you don’t catch them, you’ll at least scare them off.
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its too dangerous to send officers out now elf and safety prohibit it.
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If you fancy becoming the first Police & Crime Commissioner you have my vote.
Feet on the street not backsides on seats at the local community hall or arranging a football match for the latest section of society to claim discrimination does not solve anything.
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Thieves and burglars do not work traditionally between 9-5 Monday to Friday, so how come the majority of the police force do?
Referring to WMPs own service standards –
“Your local policing team will be in your community at the times that will make the greatest impact on reducing the harm caused by crime and anti-social behaviour.”
What is more antisocial than criminality?
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There is more chance of winning the Euro Lottery than there is of seeing a police officer on duty on the streets.
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What is a police officer?
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Nice one Keith.
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I like the remark “cut out the 9-5 tea and bikkies!!” Ha ha. However, Keith, you obviously think all officers drink tea and eat biscuits. Response officers are on shifts covering 24hrs and I would imagine at times, do not even have time for their lunch break in the whole shift,dependant on what comes in. Join neighbourhood watch if you want to help…
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Total agreement – I cannot remember seeing a beat bobbie in the last 5 years in MD, day or night.
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Well said Keith!
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most crimes are happening and police come with sirens blareing giveing criminals plenty of time to make gettaway stupid and crimes are mainly detected through public reporting not through police actions if the public see an abandoned car
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Hello Barry. In response to you witty prose:
1) police have sirens blaring so other drivers know that they are there, also pedestrians for that matter.
2) How can crimes mainly be detected through public reporting and not through police actions? It needs police action to get detected in the first place…
3) Commas and full stops would be useful as would correct spelling.
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Peter,
What has a city got to do with this? this is Shropshire and we have an increased problem of later so that is a wave of crime!!
I only wish that we can get a GRIP.
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I have a relative who is a serving police officer in the West Midlands and has been for over 30 years.
He has never worked anything other than shifts in that time, working nights, early mornings and late evenings over in regular rotation.
The suggestion that much of the police spend their time in offices etc. is an erroneaous one, based upon tabloid rubbish. Most ‘back office’ and custody jobs were taken over years ago by cheaper civilian staff.
Ironically, due to the current government’s cutbacks we are seeing reductions in numbers of long-serving, experienced officers who are being forced to retire when they reach full pensionable age (police officers cannot be made redundant but are also exempt from the recent legislation around retirement and age discrimination).
More and more police officers who should be on operational duties are also having to backfill for all the civilian staff the gov’t are getting rid of, so that the pretence can be maintained that the cuts ‘aren’t to front-line services’.
You would probably be surprised at how few police officers are on duty at any given time, and the large areas they are required to cover – this is why the idea of ‘bobbies on the beat’ is romanticised, impractial nonsense.
I can only suggest that some of you talk to real operational bobbies in future, rather than believe the tripe you read in the Daily Mail.
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You have to find one first !!!!
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Cogently put.
I’m afraid those who voted Con Dem are now reaping what they’ve sown
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Unlike the rewards of those blind fools who voted labour back in 1997 and set the UK on the final path to destruction. Get some perspective boy.
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The numbrer of police officers grew significantly under Labour.
Under the Con Dems they are being cut.
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I served for 32yrs in both uniform and plain clothes, the operational officers (the ones you see on patrol)do work 24/7; there is however a vast reserve of resources in the form of neighbourhood/community units that are not per se.
The biggest reserve are those that are CID based, during the weekdays there are more than you can shake a stick at, come evenings or at weekends and they’re at home,pub or on the golf course.
Reading any particular newspaper has little to do with reality.
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Well said Peter, someone actually in the know instead of an ill informed keyboard warrior…
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Very well put and I whole heatedly agree.
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Blaming the Daily Mail again peter. You really should get out as you would be amazed that not everyone thinks as you do. It’s called difference of opinion, something I guess you would like outlawed.
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Oh dear still reading the SUN and believing it?
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Well put Peter. Here Here!!
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Well at least there is one growth industry in our collapsing economy. With very light penalties (and in most cases no penalty) being handed out by the courts crime really does pay.
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Last week (This Will Make You Laugh), i was sitting on the Bus (25 Harlescott to Town Centre) got to Castelfiels Were 4 Police Cars with flashing lights Stopped The Bus, And 2 Police got on the bus and Ask 2 Lads if the (wait for it) Pinch a bottle of Pop from The co-op (This is Ture) and took the 2 lads off the bus,
When i Report sometime thing it take 1-2 hrs before anything is do, They are too busy sitting in the spar services at battlefiled drinking cups of tea/coffee and eating donuts
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ss ott headlines exagerating it again, its like turning into the daily mail or something
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Both Peter and Keith seem to have a grip on the real problems in today’s Policing. However, rather churning out the old story of blaming government cuts I am minded to blame chief Police officers for the decline. Despite the announcement from the Coalition government that bureaucracy and paperwork must be reduced in the Police I see no sign of that happening. There is still a good deal of waste and unnecessary procedures involved in Police work. Rather than asking for Chief officers where cuts could be made,(much like Turkeys voting for Christmas)the government would be better off asking the bottom end of the rank structure. There is still a plethora of civilian workers employed by various Police organisations, many of whom do nothing more than increase the work burden of the average Police officer rather than decrease it.
Do we really need a civilian media officer in each command unit backed up by a whole team at HQ? Noticed the “Good News” stories in the press, that’s where they come from. Police shouldn’t be worried about being liked or popular. When the crime figures drop the public will be appreciative.
Crime prevention initiatives do not need to be driven by the Police. It is the responsibility of all in the community both individuals and organisations. Community Policing initiatives and meetings with various groups, as highlighted by Keith, although nice rarely provide any real benefit to the public. Far better that those officers be out on the beat getting to know their criminals.
I could go on but essentially the Policing message has become lost. It’s a simple job that is over complicated by chief and senior ranking officers pretending to be doyens of industry and forgetting their oath taken as a Constable.
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An effective police force, sorry service, (must not forget the touchy feely training) does not require anything from the PR bods as it is almost akin to perpetual motion.
A society that feels safe does not need to be reminded with the bundles of piccys showing PC Smith arranging a litter pick, Insp Jones handing over a cheque (yes, taxpayers money) to buy the kiddywinkies a new football or any of the plethora of non-crime related jobs that weigh totally on the time of a whole raft of officers time.
There was a time when the police had the guts to tell people ‘it’s not a police job’ sort it out yourself, now it’s seen as an opportunity to ingratiate themselves with public who would otherwise prefer to see them on patrol.
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Well said Peter!
People take what they read in the media as gospel …… The answer isn’t to slate the police at every opportunity, but support them!
They want to do the job they joined to do, but are restricted due to politics, money etc. They do what they can with the resources they have got.
So who is to blame ……. The government! They need to take responsibility and get a grip of this country!
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Sorry, but I just have to quote again what DCI Edwards said, “I need intelligence.”
Well that’s something I’ve been saying for years – at last they are listening but sadly unable to help themselves with comments like “I need people to actually lock their doors”
Then he wants people, “to warn off potential criminals.”
I seem to recall that Tony Martin of Norfolk did exactly that and went to jail for it!!!!!
Welcome to the Modern Police Force.
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ha ha ha, what rubbish! Tony Martin shot and killed someone, DCI Edwards is asking people to take measures like leaving on house lights to make it look like someone is in. If you honestly think those two things are the same then you need to go back to primary school.
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Well you might want to see the evidence the CPS presented the jury. They made much of his efforts to prevent burglary inviting the jury to believe that this showed a predisposition to cause a serious injury.
Tony Martin had made numerous complaints to the police who failed in their duty following a series of burglaries.
The fact is Tony Martin hasn’t been burgled since!
They will be writing folk songs about Tony Martin when he’s gone – not sure if they will be doing the same for any of our serving police officers.
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Lucy W I think the police asking people to help themselves by locking doors etc…. is a far cry from Tony Martin shooting someone!
I do not understand what point you are trying to make?
Is it so wrong to ask people to take extra care in securing their homes, or is it not just common sense? If I was unfortunate enough to be a victim of a burglary and I had left my back door open, then i would not be blaming anyone else but myself.
The society we now live in is desperate and opportunistic, we should all be taking steps to try and look after our own property and local community.
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Jade, I don’t think my comments on the CPS presentation of evidence in th Tony Martin case was posted when you made you comment, so may I refer you to it?
The point I am making is that ‘self help’ can be interpreted ‘aggression’ when it suits an incompetent police force. Tony Martin was useless at DIY as evidenced by the state of his house. The CPS told the jury that the missing floor boards from the bottom of his stairs was a ‘booby-trap’ to catch a fleeing burglar albeit along with some other genuine measures to deter burglars. What utter tosh.
Perhaps DCI Edwards could tell us how many burglaries were via unlocked doors and how many were via forced entry last month? If the ratio is 1:10, then I think it’s a bit rich to patronise the public about locking doors.
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On these chilly evenings it’s nice to have leftwing hotair to warm us all up! Throw another Guardian on the fire!
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Left-wingers always used to be condemned for NOT sticking up for the police. The times they are a changing, it seems.
I’ve had and still have relatives in the police and one thing I know very well is that few jobs pose a greater challenge to a regular life – at least if you’re as committed as my relatives were/are. There’s the shifts, the sudden call-outs, the risk of injury etc etc.
I also know that what the police require most is support – both moral and financial – from the government (of whatever shade) and at least a general understanding from the public of what the job entails. In that respect, they’re little different from any other profession.
I watched numerous senior offices on TV after the summer riots and they all seemed to be biting their tongues ; knowing that the cuts were going to make their jobs even more difficult but at the same time attempting to reassure the public. Maybe there is a case for these cuts (though I don’t think so) but it would be stupid to pretend that policing is going to become easier as a result.
I also would never downplay the feelings of crime victims. You don’t want to hear that crime in general is going down when you’ve just become a victim yourself – of course you don’t.
But overall, I’ve always been proud to have had family in the police and to be what you call left-wing. Seems the right, by contrast, doesn’t have many causes left to believe in other than immigrant-bashing and banker-worshipping. The Guardian might keep you warm but once the paper runs out, your prejudices will have you shivering from the cold.
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Calls made to the police on a regular basis;
There is a dog running along the road,
The traffic lights aren’t working,
The children are playing football again on the green,
We have a problem with people dropping litter,
There is a cow on the road,
Our next door neighbour has cut our hedge down,
My daughter has come home drunk and she is only 15,
Hmm mm …… Do these really warrant a call to the police or are they things that we could deal with ourselves? surely these problems can be dealt with by other agencies leaving the police to deal with more serious matters.
We seem to no longer have a Police Force but a Police Service and we only have ourselves to blame!
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