Cannabis with street value of £500,000 discovered in searches
"We have located and dismantled four cannabis cultivations within properties in Templepatrick, Coleraine, Tandragee and Lurgan," Det Insp Kelly said."The drugs recovered have a potential street value of approximately £500,000. A fifth property in Newry was searched and the occupant located and arrested by roads policing officers in Portadown this morning."
Det Insp Kelly added: "Clearly there was a conveyor belt supply of drugs being produced, with regular harvests across the properties, which would likely be sold on to other criminal gangs."Organised crime gangs fund their criminality and lifestyle at the expense of others. Damage is caused to properties. Vulnerable people caught up in drug misuse suffer and it creates a pressure on families and the health service."Police also seized by four vehicles during the searches on Wednesday.
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
I confronted a shoplifter but I was made to feel like the criminal
I was shopping in the Tesco Express on my local high street in south-east London at 1pm last Sunday afternoon when I saw a bald, white man in his 40s use his arm to sweep an entire shelf of medicines into a gym bag. He was completely brazen about it: he wasn't wearing a mask or hoodie to hide his face, he was in a bright-red tracksuit. What made it even more enraging was that the Tesco staff could see him and they didn't do a thing about it. They just stood there and watched, looking totally unbothered. I was passing the shoplifter as he started sweeping a second shelf of medicines into his bag and I couldn't stop myself: I loudly exclaimed: 'Really?' It was almost a reflex – I was so shocked and angry. I was scared as well. Anyone who's bold enough to shoplift in broad daylight, in front of people, is clearly not afraid – he might have had a knife and he could easily have stabbed me. I'm not an idiot, I do know the dangers, but I couldn't help reacting. In fact, all it took was me saying that one word to make the guy leave. Although he didn't even try to run: he just sauntered towards the door and b-----ed off. Maybe I should have let it go, but the staff's level of aloofness really got to me. I started questioning them, asking: 'Are you seeing this? Why did you just stand there? Why didn't you say anything?' One woman who works there was just as unbothered as the shoplifter. She shrugged and said: 'Oh, we're not paid to confront thieves.' She pointed out that they've got CCTV, and she did say they would call the police later. But when I asked 'Is this the new normal – are you just going to smile and nod?', the staff started shouting at me, saying they're not paid enough to deal with it. I do understand, and I'm not expecting workers to rush in like Superman, but they didn't even address it. They just let it happen. As the staff were shouting, I thought: 'Where was this attitude when that thief was raiding your shop?' I then said 'Well, what if I take my shopping and just leave without paying?' and started walking towards the door, although obviously I came back and paid. Even more shocking, another customer (a man in his 50s with a long ponytail) then started screaming at me: 'Leave it, just leave it!' He went purple in the face. He was furious that I'd said anything to the staff – he was angrier about that than about the shoplifter. I was completely stunned. I felt like I was going mad. That's why I'd said: 'Are you seeing this?' – I was half wondering if I needed to visit my GP and get my eyes tested! The staff made me feel as if I was the person in the wrong. This wasn't a one-off either. The previous Sunday afternoon, another man was trying to snatch food from the same store, saying something like: 'This Englishman is hungry.' On that occasion the staff did tell him: 'We're recording this.' He then ransacked the store for a few minutes, making a huge mess, although he didn't steal anything in the end. I called the police afterwards and they sounded totally unfazed, even bored. I offered to stay until they came and give a description of the man, or send them the photos I'd taken of the mess, but they didn't take me seriously. The policeman said 'Nah mate, you get on home.' After the second incident, when I'd confronted the shoplifter, I called Tesco headquarters. I explained that this might be happening on Sundays because for some reason they don't have a security person on the door on a Sunday – on the other days of the week, the person in that role wears a yellow vest and a body cam. The woman at Tesco HQ said they would think about having a security person on Sundays, but she quickly added that they wouldn't physically stop a thief either, they would just record it. That seems insane to me. I used to feel a bit safer when the doorman was there, but now I know they can't actually touch the thief, I don't feel safe at all. (An official Tesco spokesman, contacted via their press office, says simply: 'The safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority, and we have made significant investments to keep everyone across our business safe.') I've also written to my local MP but I'm not feeling hopeful. My question is: 'What's next?' I saw two incidents of shoplifting in two weeks, so will this start happening on a daily basis? The guy stealing drugs wasn't a desperate single mum taking a sandwich to feed her child – I would help someone like that – or a kid making a stupid mistake. This was a man old enough to know exactly what he's doing, and stealing that much medicine is worrying. Is he going to use it to make other drugs? That's not just 'shoplifting' – that's a raid. On my way home, I actually saw the guy again. He was delivering some of his stolen goods to a woman in a house close to where I live. That's terrifying. I've lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years and it's a lovely, family-oriented, village-type community. But this sort of incident is exactly how neighbourhoods go downhill. I worry it could become a hotspot for crime. There are some neighbourhoods we talk about with fear or disgust: I would be heartbroken if my area became like that. I'm originally from Turkey, and I've seen this first-hand: cities overrun with crime becoming terrible places to live. I know how this ends. It upsets me that this is institutional. I worry this could become a hotspot for crime, and the police don't seem to care. I feel like I'm on my own. I posted about my experience in my local Facebook group, and I was baffled by the responses. Lots of people were vehemently against confronting shoplifters. One woman told me to mind my own business. If you even mention the idea, you get labelled socially conservative and it becomes political. Just for saying you're against crime, really? The frustrating thing is that this affects all of us. It makes our neighbourhoods unsafe, and it puts up prices for paying customers. But everyone seems to have given up. If we do nothing, criminals become emboldened. I'm sure they'll be back in that Tesco because they know the staff won't move a muscle. So why not steal the whole shelf? I won't be there to see it, though. After this horrible experience, I'm never going to Tesco again.
BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man with hammer arrested after shop door smashed in Nottingham
A man has been arrested after the glass door of a shop in Nottingham was said officers were called to the CeX store, in the Victoria Centre, at about 19:00 BST on Wednesday to a report of an angry and abusive force said the man, who had a hammer, became aggressive after being told the shop had fled in fear after the man kicked the door open and entered the shop, officers said. One member of staff was standing near the glass door when it smashed and suffered injuries to his said officers arrived but the man resisted as they arrested officer sustained a cut to his shoulder and another sustained cuts to his arms from falling on to the broken glass, police suspect also headbutted a third officer as he was placed into a police van, officer 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon and assault and remains in custody.
The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
Horror as man ‘shot in street' with four arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
FOUR people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man in his 20s was injured in a "shooting". Police arrested three men, aged 35, 42, and 62, along with a 50-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder. 4 4 4 The victim in his 20s was treated on the roadside with "serious injuries" before he was rushed to hospital in Birmingham. Emergency services scrambled to the scene at 11.40pm on Wednesday to reports of a shooting outside a block of flats. A police helicopter was brought in and the area cordoned off. But residents are being allowed in and out with a police escort. West Midlands Police said: "We were called to Woodnorton Drive, Birmingham just after 11.35pm last night (13 Aug) after reports of a shooting. "A man in his 20s was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening. "Following enquiries, three men, aged 35, 42, 62 and a 50-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. They remain in custody for questioning. "Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call 101 quoting 6329 of 13 Aug." Forensic teams have been pictured at the scene as cops continue to investigate. West Midlands Ambulance Service added: "We were called to reports of a shooting on Woodnorton Drive in Moseley at around 11.40pm. "An ambulance, two paramedic officers and a MERIT trauma doctor with critical care paramedic were sent to the scene. "On arrival, crews found a man who they treated for serious injuries and conveyed to hospital." 4
