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Cracking Down On
Christmas Cash-In-Transit Robberies
THE 6 North West police
forces and the security industry have launched a joint operation to
crackdown on armed robberies and target criminals in the run-up to
Christmas. The action will be co-ordinated by the North West
Regional Organised Crime Unit (Titan), the regional collaboration to
tackle serious and organised crime groups involved in drug
trafficking, firearms, armed robberies, aggravated burglaries and
other serious crimes.
Officers from Titan, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire,
Lancashire, Cumbria and North Wales, the British Security Industry
Association (BSIA), SaferCash and other partner agencies will be
working together to combat cash-in-transit robberies. The
campaign that was launched on Thursday, 24 November 2011, will see
officers using both high-visibility and covert patrols on the ground
and in the air to escort security vehicles as they carry out their
normal deliveries.
A number of other tactics will be used to prevent these robberies,
including armed police vehicles escorting high-risk security
vehicles as they carry out cash deliveries; overt and covert CCTV
monitoring; patrol cars following cash-handling vehicles; plus all
cash containers will include either Smartwater or a dye, which will
be released when they are opened. Initiatives to reduce
cash-in-transit robberies have already been very successful in the
region and this further proactive, co-ordinated approach sends a
very clear message to criminals that these attacks will not be
tolerated. The action follows significant success so far this
year in combating cash-in-transit robberies with 27 offenders being
convicted and sentenced to more than 335 years in prison.
Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson, head of the NWROCU
(Titan), said:- "The North West has seen significant
reductions in cash-in-transit robberies in recent years and our
message to criminals contemplating carrying out these kind of crimes
in the run-up to Christmas is clear; we will find you and we will
make sure you spend your Christmas behind bars. Robberies targeting
cash-in-transit vehicles, banks, post offices and commercial
businesses are not victimless crimes and cause deep distress to
those at the brunt of the attacks. In the majority of cases the
offenders do not hesitate to use violence against innocent people
which can result in life-changing mental and physical injuries. All
of the police forces in the North West are committed to cracking
down on the criminals who make the lives of people making an honest
living in the security and commercial industries a misery. We will
continue to use all the powers available to us to target these
criminals, prevent offences and bring those responsible to justice."
Two delivery drivers, who are partners on a cash-in-transit van
making deliveries and collections across the North West, have been
victims of armed robbery more than seven times and have spoken out
about their experiences.
The guards, who wish to remain
anonymous, were attacked most recently in April 2011, although their
worst attack was shortly before Christmas 2010.
One of the guards, who is 43 years
old and has been working on cash-in-transit vans for seven years
during which time he has been attacked 7 times, said:- "I was
in the van and my partner was in the shop where I saw them attack
him with a machete. They swiped his helmet off and I thought they
had killed him. It was by far the worst attack but we won't give up
a job we love because of these criminals."
The other guard, who is 50 and has been working on cash-in-transit
vans for 10 years during which he has been attacked eight times,
added:- "What the people who commit these offences don't
understand is that it's not a victimless crime. We are real people
with families and it's not just the physical scars that need to
heal. After an attack you are very wary. Everything makes you jump
from doors banging to slight noises; it has a huge impact on your
life."
All North West police forces, in partnership with the security
industries, will continue to share intelligence and provide
assistance for cross-border deliveries throughout the campaign and
in the following months.
Steve Hurst, head of SaferCash, said:- "Working with regional
police forces and our partners we are determined to make the
cash-handling industry as secure as possible. Cash-in-transit
robberies do not only affect the security guards. They also affect
their families as some victims of these often very violent attacks
suffer terrible psychological effects and are unable to return to a
job they once loved. We urge the public to help us combat these
attacks by reporting any suspicious activity near to cash-in-transit
vans, particularly in the busy run-up to Christmas."
BSIA's Chief Executive, James Kelly, added:- "Cash-in-transit
attacks, while often perceived as a business crime, are not
victimless. Last year alone, more than 750 crew members were
attacked while performing this essential public service, many
suffering severe physical and psychological effects. Working
alongside the Home Office and police forces across the country, BSIA
members are seeing some positive results in combating this crime,
however, only through the ongoing commitment of such effective
partnerships will we continue to keep our couriers safe."
Police are asking the public to be vigilant and help stop the
violence by reporting any suspicious activity in the run up to the
festive season to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111.
In an emergency always call:- 999.
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Credit Easing
for small businesses welcomed
MPs have welcomed the
Chancellor’s ambitious announcement for up to £40bn in loans to cash
strapped businesses as part of a wider package of measures to
kick-start Britain’s struggling economy. Under the National Loan
Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), the Government will underwrite the banks’
borrowing on financial markets to encourage them to provide cheaper
loans to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). These savings
will be passed on in the form of lower interest rates, encouraging
them to invest, expand and employ more workers. The Chancellor
George Osborne argues that the policy allows small businesses to
directly benefit from the government’s ‘AAA’ credit
rating and the international credibility gained by the government’s
austerity measures and attempts to reduce the structural deficit. A
business taking a £5m loan could save £50,000 a year under the
scheme, as the interest rate for borrowing will be reduced by
1%.John Leech, the Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington,
welcomed the news, stating that:- "This measure will make
credit more available for the small businesses that need it most.
These SMEs can drive our economy forward, creating growth and jobs
in Manchester and across the country. Talking to local businesses in
the constituency it is clear that their major concern is that they
are finding it impossible to borrow money from banks despite the
government telling banks to lend. It is clear the chancellor has
listened and now it should be easier for them to get the loan they
need at a rate that will favour them." Despite
Labour’s criticism, the credit easing scheme has been welcomed by
industry experts as a means of increasing liquidity and stimulating
growth in this vital market. The plan is also set to include a clear
audit trail so that success can be easily tracked, a failure that
led to widespread criticism of Labour’s ‘Asset Purchasing
Facility’, which Osborne has scrapped. The Chief Executive
of the not-for-profit small business body the Forum of Private
Business, Phil Orford, responded to Autumn Statement from the
Chancellor, George Osborne also by saying:- "We welcome the
announcement of 50% income tax relief and a 1 year capital gains
holiday for those investing in start ups under the Seed Enterprise
Investment Scheme (SEIS), but the Government should have acted to
encourage private lenders too. Small firms need a range of funding
options, and equity finance is certainly one of these, but lending
at interest remains their preferred route by far. Combined with
these tax breaks, the Government’s new credit easing scheme and an
extended Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), providing incentives
for new lenders to compete with the high-street banks would be more
likely to boost competition in small business borrowing markets,
driving up levels of service and bringing down costs. It is a shame
this has not happened." In its submission to the
Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Statement, the Forum called for tax
incentives for private lenders similar to the 30% tax relief
available for equity investors under the Enterprise Investment
Scheme (EIS). The Government also announced several measures on tax;
specifically fuel duty and business rates. Mr Orford added:-
"I think we have seen some tentative steps towards easing fuel duty
and business rates, but we need to go much further and introduce
real tax reforms in order to help them to grow and create jobs. The
Government is extending the rate relief holiday by six months and
allowing businesses to defer 60% of the RPI-linked business rate
increase in 2012-13. This will help but it is not the freeze we
asked for. Further, scrapping January’s 3p fuel duty rise completely
and reducing the increase scheduled for August is good news but we
wanted all fuel duty increases scheduled for 2012 to be postponed.
There were a range of other announcements that we already knew a lot
about, such as welcome reforms to employment law, including delaying
implementing pension auto-enrolment and proposals to give business
owners more freedom to make staffing decisions with less fear of
being taken to a tribunal, and much-needed infrastructure
investments. Education and skills was also high on the agenda. This
will be a crucial area for growth; when firms are in a position to
recruit in earnest again they will need a much stronger talent pool
of skilled, young workers. We have also seen procurement proposals
and incentives for mid-caps, but very little for micro businesses,
which make up the majority of small firms in the UK and require
special attention. Given their importance to plans for economic
growth, this was an omission. Overall, small business finance;
freeing firms’ cash flow by removing the cost barriers they face and
improving levels of affordable commercial funding; remains the
immediate priority. The Chancellor has taken some steps in the right
direction, but he could have made much bolder strides to get Britain
trading by providing more support for the smallest businesses."
The Steam Packet
To Biuld On Strong Early TT2012 Bookings
WITH the number of
motorcycles booked for TT2012 currently running 10% ahead of the
same period last year, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is
looking to boost visitor numbers even more by again introducing its
popular ‘TT Taster Offer’. The offer allows
visiting fans to attend the TT Festival during the quieter Practice
Week period for just £99 for a motorcycle and rider. This offer
price has been held for the third consecutive year and can be booked
online. For people also
requiring accommodation, Steam Packet Holidays has joined forces
with a number of Isle of Man hotels and have 3 night packages
available from just £175 per person, which includes ferry travel
with motorcycle and 3 nights’ bed and breakfast. Enquiries and
bookings can be made by calling:- 01624 645777. Steam Packet Company
Chief Executive Mark Woodward said:- "It is great that advance
bookings for motorcycles are ahead of the same period last year and
are indicative of the event’s increase in popularity. The TT Taster
Offers have proved popular in the last couple of years and have
helped boost visitor numbers during the festival’s quieter periods,
therefore making a vital contribution to the local economy." |
