Good Afternoon Resident

Over the last couple of months officers have seen an increase in theft from motor vehicle offences in the Halliwell, Smithills & Heaton areas of Bolton. Most of these incidents included vehicles being left insecure and personal belongings being stolen. Some incidents also involved bank cards being stolen and used in shops in the Bolton area. The North & West Neighbourhood teams have been working hard to collate CCTV footage and evidence to identify the suspects and earlier this week we identified a male and female who we suspected to be involved in these offences. 

On Thursday 29th May 2025, officers located and arrested a 54-year-old male and a 40-year-old female on suspicion of theft from motor vehicle, fraud, handling stolen goods and vehicle interference. They were interviewed in relation to 15 incidents and as a result were charged for a combination of 21 offences. The pair were remanded in custody to appear at court today, Saturday 31st May 2025. 

The Neighbourhood Team would like to thank those who assisted us by providing evidence to support our investigation. We would also like to take this as another opportunity to remind you to ensure your vehicles are locked and secure, and do not leave any valuables inside your vehicles or on show. 

Finally, we would like to reiterate the importance of reporting these incidents to us. In order for us to investigate these crimes we need to be aware of them, so even if nothing was stolen from inside your vehicle or you don't think it is worth reporting the matter to us, you might have important evidence which may assist our investigation or the missing piece to identifying the suspect who has been causing misery across the community. 

You can make a report online using the GMP website - Report | Greater Manchester Police, via 101 or anonymously through the CrimeStoppers website - Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers

Kind Regards,