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The new Titan
website is now online!
A new website was launched on Tuesday, 1 May
2012, to promote the work of the North West Regional Organised Crime
Unit (Titan). Since Titan was launched in April 2009, 225 criminals
across the region have been sentenced to 731 years in prison. More
than £2million of stolen goods have been recovered, 21 firearms have
been taken off the streets and drugs with a street value of nearly
£10million have been seized.
Titan is a collaboration of the 6 regional forces;
Merseyside, Lancashire, GMP, North Wales, Cumbria and Cheshire and
was formed to combat serious and organised crime that crosses the
borders of counties in the North West. The Regional Asset Recovery
Team (RART), Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU), Regional Crime Unit (RCU)
and The Police Central e-Crime Unit (PcECU) set up to tackle cyber
crime and cyber attacks, operate under the umbrella of Titan to help
combat crime across the North West. The RART was launched in 2004
and since then has stripped £27, 696,624 of criminal assets from
offenders. The unit tackles those involved in crimes such as drug
trafficking, firearms, armed robberies, cash-in-transit attacks and
aggravated burglaries. The website features details of all 17
operations that Titan officers have investigated since the launch of
the unit 2 years ago. Among the operations include investigations
where two Merseyside men have been sentenced to life for firearms
offences, eight members of a Lancashire and Merseyside OCG who
received more than 63 years in jail for drug trafficking and nine
men from Greater Manchester who were jailed for 84 years for
trafficking cocaine and heroin throughout the North West.
Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson said:- "The website
showcases the work of Titan which sends a strong message to those
prepared to engage in violent and organised crime that we will find
you and we will put you behind bars. The unit works hard with the
six regional police forces, as well as partner agencies, to take
criminals off our streets and to strip them of their ill-gotten
gains. Titan is committed to tackling organised crime groups and
their associated criminality, which has a huge impact on residents
across the North West We will continue to work pro-actively to
disrupt these criminals and ultimately take them off the streets to
make our communities a safer place."
The website can be viewed at:-
titanrocu.org.uk.
Anyone with any information about serious criminality is asked to
call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111. |
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CAMRA releases
new national pub closure research
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale have released
new national research showing that with over 300 community locals
having permanently shut in just 6 months, crippling beer tax
increases by the Government continue to threaten the future of
traditional pubs. The news comes as over 33,000 consumers have
signed a national e-petition in recent weeks to bring an end to
above inflation beer tax increases. CAMRA's research shows 73% of
regular pub goers support a freeze in beer duty. National
research commissioned by CAMRA has found that Britain's national pub
closure rate now stands at 12 pubs per week, and away from Britain's
city centre high streets; where a net loss of just 6 pubs in total
has occurred across Britain in 6 months; rural pubs are closing at a
net rate of 4 per week, and suburban at 8 per week. With pubs
hit by an inflation-busting 42% increase in beer duty since 2008,
CAMRA is continuing to rally beer drinkers to sign an e-petition to
call an end to above inflation increases in beer tax, thus giving
struggling pubs a degree of respite in the current climate:-
www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint.
With over 33,000 consumers backing the petition, CAMRA is lobbying
to secure 100,000 signatures and force a debate in Parliament on an
issue causing great damage to communities across Britain.
Mike Benner, CAMRA Chief Executive, said:- "Whether situated
in a small village, city high street, or on the edge of a housing
estate, pubs are so central to our society that whole communities
can grow around a particular pub. A threat to the future of
traditional pubs is therefore also a threat to countless social
groups within Britain that thrive because of their local.
Unsustainable beer tax increases by the Government are ripping the
heart out of community centres, but with over 33,000 consumers
having recently signed the beer tax e-petition, beer drinkers and
pub goers are actively voicing their discontent. CAMRA is now
campaigning to secure 100,000 signatures, which would force
Parliament to debate above inflation rises in beer duty."
CAMRA has also today released new figures showing the worst hit
areas of Britain for pub closures. Breaking down some of the largest
counties across the country, targeted figures show how in 6 months
(September 2011 to March 2012) an area such as Lancashire has lost
68 pubs, whilst the West Midlands has lost 37. A full
breakdown of the number of pubs lost in the last 6 months; thoughout
United Kingdom; can be viewed at:-
camra.org.uk/countypubclosures. |
