Our recent survey has revealed 75% of residents think we need more Police on the beat.

But they will be shocked to hear of Labour’s funding plans means that 300 Bobbies will disappear from the beat in Greater Manchester this year.

Julia said: “The thin blue line just got even thinner. Labour has failed us on law and order.”

The police post in Westhoughton

Councillor Jackie Pearcey, Liberal Democrat PPC for Bolton West, has hit out at reports that up to 300 jobs will be lost at Greater Manchester Police to balance the books.

Jackie said: “Last year, on the City Council, I raised the question as to whether or not there was a hole in the GMP budget and was assured by the Chair of the Police Authority that there was no funding gap.  Now it seems that they are £5 million overspent.

“The police are thinly stretched as it is.  Freezing recruitment will result in less police on the streets and will harm the fight against crime.”

More than 300 plants were found in a house after firefighters tackled a blaze at the Townsfield Road location.

Richard Shackleton, aged 38, of Winscar Road, Hindley, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis in relation to the Westhoughton farm. He was also found guilty after a trial in relation to seperate cannabis farm in Wigan, according to The Bolton News.

Darren Valentine, aged 38, of Grundy Street, Westhoughton, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and possession with intent to supply cannabis in relation to the farm in Wigan and has been sentenced to 16 months in prison.

“With some of the plants said to be over 9ft tall, these were big operations,” said ward councillor David Wilkinson. “The fall out from this case has shown that despite some people’s beliefs, not all cannabis farms are run by ‘foreigners’”.

Police newsletter

The latest Police newsletter for the Westhoughton area has now been made available on our website. Click here to view the August 2009 report in PDF format.

Jackie Pearcey

Jackie Pearcey said “There are many children on the database, who have had their DNA taken for trivial matters such as dropping litter.  They are stigamatised by being on this database, alongside rapists and murderers.  Now it turns out that a 1 year old baby is on the database.  There is no crime which a 1 year old baby can commit which could possily justify keeping their DNA on a police database.

“Years back, when police took fingerprints from people who were not suspects, but needed to have their prints eliminated from a scene of crime, these fingerprints were always destroyed after the case was completed.  However it seems that DNA samples are kept forever.  The Government should ensure that when people allow their DNA to be sampled in order to help forensic experts to understand a scene of crime, the samples should be destroyed, like fingerprints used to be.”

The government has revealed that it may use the Manchester area as a testing ground for its controversial ID cards scheme.

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, revealed in a visit to the region that we could be “in the running” to take part.

But the idea has been condemned by the Liberal Democrats’ Bolton West Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Jackie Pearcey, who said: “All ID cards will do is put a huge amount of data into computer systems which this Government has shown skill in losing.  ID cards will not stop burglaries, carjackings, muggings or even most frauds.  They won’t stop internet crime, thefts or assault.  They won’t stop benefits fraud, as most benefits fraud concerns the amount of benefits that people claim, not who they are. ”

“In fact, all such a pilot scheme will do is cost the citizens of Greater Manchester and leave us open to every petty official demanding ID before they provide us with a basic service,” she added.