Wigan community's bid to tackle crime

Paul Collins, councillor for Shevington with Lower Ground, said that while police were working hard to reduce the number of break-ins in his ward, his constituents should take as many security measures as possible to prevent burglars from making off with their possessions.

Coun Collins said: “I have received a lot of enquiries about the spike in burglaries in the Shevington area.

“Our police team are aware of this and are doing their best to patrol all affected areas, which is difficult as not only Shevington is affected by this.

“Sgt Forshaw of our police team is keeping us up to date and has informed us that our police team have been working late over the weekend and continue patrolling the area on a regular basis.”

He added: “Our police team are keeping an eye on the Shevington Community Watch Facebook Page, which contains a lot of good advice e.g. keep doors locked at all times even when you are in and ensure that all incidents are reported to 999 or 101 depending on the circumstances.

“Keep neighbours informed via Facebook and What’s App Groups – Neighbourhood Watch Schemes helps to ensure that we are all aware of what is going on and can get every incident reported, which can help our police team apprehend the thieves.

“It is also important to Increase your own security measures, such as lock external gates, lock cars and use additional locks such as steering wheel locks.

“Keep valuables and car keys out of sight and not in easy locations such as near exits or entry points.

“If you have alarms and CCTV ensure that they are activated and recording, which can provide useful evidence that may help us to track down the perpetrators of crime in our area.

“I do hope that you find this information useful but please remember to report any suspicious activity via the non emergency 101 number or for crime in progress or emergencies call 999.

“If we all work together we can help to keep crime down in our area and ensure criminals are apprehended.”