24/08 Police Warn of Increased Traffic in Leeds Area

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Detailed traffic measures are set to come into play in the Bramham area next week in preparation for the Annual Leeds Carling Music Festival.

Up to 70,000 people are expected to be at the festival site on Friday, Saturday and Sunday putting added pressure on the already busy surrounding roads.

Superintendent Gerry Broadbent from West Yorkshire Police said, “As one festival ends we begin the planning for the next based on any lessons learnt. Increased traffic will always be an issue with each years event so it's important that we all take heed of the warnings to ensure we don't spend our weekend caught up in the delays.

"Our intention is obviously to ensure traffic continues to flow in the surrounding area and delays to local residents is reduced wherever possible. We already have very busy road networks but the festival could put several thousand extra vehicles into the area over the course of the event.

"My advice to local residents is to avoid the area wherever possible, if this is not an option, ensure you leave plenty of time for your journey.

“Festival-goers will be travelling along the A64, extra signage has been installed and road traffic officers will be on hand to keep traffic moving through the city."

Supt Broadbent added: “The volume of traffic will begin to increase on Wednesday with around 10,000 people expected, however the majority of people will head for Bramham on the Thursday, with the rest attending on day tickets over the weekend. The A64 will be the main pressure point and I would ask people to avoid the area if possible throughout the weekend.

“We have looked back at any lessons that could be learnt from previous festival operations and have worked closely with the festival organisers, ‘Mean Fiddler’ to ensure alternative methods of travel are highlighted to festival goers and to minimise delays for everyone travelling on West Yorkshire’s roads.”

24/08 Police Appeal for Owners of Stolen Figurines

Police Appeal for Owners of Stolen Figurines







Thursday, August 24, 2006

Bradford North police are appealing for information following the recent recovery of a number of collectible Porcelain figurines from the Swain House area of Bradford.

The 35 figurines, consisting of Lladro, Nao and Beswick figurines - which are highly collectible - were recovered on July 27th from two addresses in the Swain House area.

Police believe that the figurines may have been stolen over the last 12 months from homes in the Bradford, Leeds and Keighley areas.

Images of the items recovered are being released in the hope that the figurines can be identified and returned to their rightful owners.

A Bradford man has been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen property and is currently on bail pending further enquiries

Anyone who recognises any of the figurines as their own or who may have been the victim of a similar robbery is asked to contact Bradford North CID on 01274 376 259.

22/08 Operation Talon Sees Hanoi Gang Jailed

Operation Talon Sees Hanoi Gang Jailed


Members of an organised criminal gang who stole 80 high-performance vehicles worth £1.25 million in a string of ‘Hanoi’ burglaries at homes across West Yorkshire have been jailed for more than 30 years 17 Aug

The 13 men and a youth were arrested as a result of an investigation by West Yorkshire Police’s Drugs and Organised Crime Group into a sudden spate of offences committed between September and November 2004.

Hanoi burglaries are where homes are broken into specifically to steal the keys to high-value vehicles parked outside.

The arrest phase of the operation, in December 2004, saw teams of officers swoop on 20 addresses in Bradford, Dewsbury and Leeds after months of painstaking intelligence gathering.

Initially, the investigation centred on Dewsbury man Zakir Sheikh. He had been identified as a significant organiser in the sale of high-value cars that had been stolen by a team of Bradford-based burglars from the driveways of homes across West Yorkshire, and also further afield in North Yorkshire, Humberside and Lancashire.

The investigation identified eighty such vehicles worth £1.25 million.
Initially, vehicles worth more than £330,000 were recovered by police and returned to their owners. Since the gang was arrested, further vehicles have been recovered, and currently only 15 of the original 80 are still outstanding – about £175,000 worth. The whereabouts of these vehicles are not known but it is likely they will have been given false identities and may have been shipped abroad.

The gang’s criminality was not focused solely on stealing cars. The investigation revealed that Class A drugs and firearms were other commodities they could supply. Police recovered heroin, handguns and a shotgun with the relevant ammunition when they searched addresses linked to gang.

Detective Inspector Jon Hoyle, of West Yorkshire Police’s Drugs and Organised Crime Group, said: “These criminals were highly organised in their activities and were out committing crimes on almost a daily basis. Their actions brought misery to many households across the county.

“Their victims were honest, law-abiding people who had worked hard to buy themselves one of the main trappings of success - a prestige vehicle – and in a matter of minutes they were being deprived of them.

“Not only did this gang put people through the distress that follows having your home invaded by thieves while you are in, but they also put them through the inconvenience and cost that comes in the aftermath of your car being stolen.

“As other evidence has shown, this was not just about burglary and car crime. This gang was also involved in supplying Class A drugs and firearms, which we know only too well destroy lives and wreak havoc in communities.

“The sentences they have received today should send a very clear message to those who think they can get away with making their living through organised crime.”

Following today’s sentencing, West Yorkshire Police is reminding members of the public that they have a ‘key’ role to play in helping to reduce Hanoi burglaries.

In January 2003, about 10 per cent of all home burglaries in West Yorkshire were Hanoi burglaries – about 250 to 300 per month. In response the Force established a dedicated Hanoi team to target the problem.

That team has mounted a determined campaign of operations to catch those involved in this type of crime. Their continuing work has led to several arrests and convictions and the recovery of stolen vehicles, and has ultimately seen Hanoi burglaries driven down to an all-time low of about 70 per month, representing about five per cent of all home burglaries.

But currently about half of all Hanoi burglaries committed in West Yorkshire are ‘sneak-ins’ where thieves have simply walked in through unlocked doors to snatch car keys, which have usually been left in obvious places, such as on a hall table or hanging on a hook in the kitchen.

Detective Inspector Jon Minary, the Force’s Crime Reduction Officer, said: “We want to remind householders that they can help police to cut this type of crime even further by taking a few simple precautions. When you get home, lock your door behind you and don’t leave windows open when you’re not in the room. Keep your car keys in a safe and secure location inside your home. At night, take them to bed with you.

“If you have a garage, clear out the junk and keep your car in it every night away from the prying eyes of thieves. If you don’t have a garage and park on your driveway, consider fitting gates or security posts. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime is to take action to stop the thieves targeting your car in the first place.”