Councillor: ‘Together, we can tackle crime’

Photo: Paul Sterritt

Greater Manchester Police Sergeant, Neil Barker, Uppermill police.

A PARISH council chairman said thieves would have a harder time if Saddleworth communities worked together.

Councillor Neil Allsopp was speaking at the parish council’s first-ever security exhibition at Uppermill Civic Hall organised in the wake of robberies at shops and businesses.

He said: “If we all work together we can make Saddleworth a much tougher nut to crack!

“I’d like to see them as a regular event but much bigger, better planned and organised and that will come with experience which, hopefully, started at the exhibition.

“The event was our response to the distressing spate of burglaries we experienced a couple of months ago.

“I hope those who visited the exhibition found it useful in improving the security of their homes and businesses.”

And he thanked security companies who displayed a wide range of protection devices and GMP officers for valuable advice to residents and businesses.

The exhibition was attended by Sgt Neil Barker, who takes over as head of GMP’s Saddleworth neighbourhood policing team this month and Paul Dearnley, the force’s crime reduction specialist.

Royce Franklin, chair of Saddleworth Homewatch, said: “I was pleasantly surprised by the response.

“The day was a good opportunity for Saddleworth people to show they cared about their own and their neighbour’s property.

“The public have always had an important part to play in helping police to prevent and detect crime.

“Drastic cuts in police numbers have put an even greater responsibility on communities to assist whenever they can.

“We had a number of people who attended the exhibition express an interest in Homewatch.”

Sergeant Barker will explain police changes when he addresses the meeting of Saddleworth Homewatch group on Wednesday, June 1 at 7.45 p.m at Uppermill Conservative Club. All are welcome.