Brief Christmas 2016

News

Cooking up a safer Christmas Find out more about this year’s foodthemed Christmas campaign

A year in review—and preview The highlights of 2016 and a look ahead to next year

Going the extra mile GMP officers take on the NY Marathon

Helping others is the heart of policing THE festive season is a busy time for us both at work and at home. We have a huge number of policing operations in place to try and keep people safe and secure throughout Christmas and New Year.

As usual we are supporting Key 103’s Mission Christmas toy appeal and running a hamper appeal to help those who are vulnerable in our communities. This is the real spirit of

Christmas.

Helping others is at the heart of policing and we see it taking place every day. I was joined by colleagues recently taking this approach to Ethiopia to support the charity Retrak.

It was a chance for us to hopefully create a better future for them. In the same way that we are trying to do that with our Christmas appeals.

It has been a really busy year with positive developments towards the target operating model including the roll out of the smartphones and tablets. Next year we will have the

new computer system to replace GMPICS and OPUS which will be a significant development. We are also starting to discuss the citizen contract with our communities and how they can start problem solving in their neighbourhoods.

With fewer of us, there is additional pressure that we all face and there is no reduction in the demands on policing. I want to thank you for your continued hard work throughout the year.

I am sure that 2017 will bring us some more challenges to face but as

with previous years I know we will continue to do our best to help the communities of Greater Manchester. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the time you have with friends and family during the festive season.

Ian Hopkins Chief Constable

New year, new officers: let’s make them welcome AS 2016 draws to a close, now is a good time to reflect on the year that has been. For police officers and staff in Greater Manchester it has once more been a year of challenges, changes and opportunities.

GMP is transforming the way it works to deliver a service fit for the

future and protect the most vulnerable. And, by investing in mobile technology and body-worn video, police will be able to spend more time doing what they do best – keeping people safe.

Officers are now taking charge of their own cases, delivering a more personal service to victims of crime, and confidence in the police is high.

Through closer working with partner agencies, you’re leading the way in tackling complex crimes such as modern slavery, and more people

are coming forward to report hate crime, domestic abuse, and child sexual exploitation – trusting that they will be supported and taken seriously.

Despite the persistent budget cuts, careful financial management has meant that for the first time in five years, we have been able to recruit new officers. I know you will join me in welcoming each and every one of them to the Force. To the new recruits, I say you are in good hands and in good company.

I am immensely proud to be your

Commissioner. Both on duty and off, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Tony Lloyd Greater Manchester Mayor and PCC

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Welcome to the Christmas edition of Brief!

THIS special festive edition of Brief is jam packed with stories from around the Force that highlight the great work taking place at GMP— with a seasonal twist.

Often we use this time of year to reflect on what we have achieved in the past 12 months. We asked all the divisions to name one story or highlight that was particularly significant to them for 2016. Turn to page 10 for our special annual round up feature and see if you can spot any familiar faces!

Some people simply embody the spirit of community policing, and the late PC Phil Buckley was no exception to this. We have paid tribute to him and his exceptional career on page seven.

Every year the generosity of officers and staff never fails to amaze. Read about the six officers who completed the NY marathon in memory of Nicola and Fiona on page nine.

Lastly the Brief editorial team would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

News

With thanks to the following people for their contribution to this issue:

4 Cooking up a safer Christmas Christmas card winner and this year’s food themed PR campaign

5 Donations flood in

 ‘Tis the season for carolling Page six

 

A Christian perspective from Mike Russell

Features 10-12 Round up of 2016

Plus retired cop Bob Pell gets pub named in his honour

Taking a look back at the year and memorable moments for all our divisions

Plus a tribute to PC Phil Buckley

9 Cops go the extra mile in NYC Find out how our NY marathon runners got on

Internal Communications &

Arnold & Melissa Pye

7 Bury cop helps homeless man 8 Flight of a lifetime for PCSO Hurst

Mike Russell

Engagement Officers Rosie

Toy and hamper appeals well underway

6 The true meaning of Christmas

PR Officer Louise Rice

13 Cyber crime: a cautionary tale Police staff member has account wiped

14 Five steps to a safer Christmas Plus a look ahead to 2017



PR Assistant Kieanna Jackson

Be published in Brief Editorial team: Alison Etherden, Melissa Mead and Krystyna Rudzski Photographers: Chris Oldham and Bill Morris 0161 856 2777 | Picture Desk: Lisa Marks 0161 856 2279 Designed and produced by: Corporate Communications, Force Headquarters, Central Park, M40 5BP Contact numbers: 0161 85 62238 / 5938

Bob Pell gets an unusual retirement gift Page seven

Email: Brief@gmp.police.uk Brief online: www.gmp.police.uk/Brief

Articles and contributions for the next edition of Brief should be submitted by

13 January 2017 Melissa Mead, Editor

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Getting creative for Christmas WE asked the children of Greater Manchester to design this year’s official GMP Christmas card.

We received some amazing artwork resulting in a very hard decision to choose an overall winner. There are two age categories; aged 9 & under and age 10 to 14. Over 75 entries were received across The winning card

by Chloe Rogers, the two age categories.

14, from Stockport After much deliberation, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins selected the winner as 14-year-old Chloe Rogers from Christmas mean to you?' The runner-up was eight-year-old Heidi Maunders from Stockport. He was impressed with her Middleton.

Christmas tree design which perfectly The winning drawing has been fitted the brief of 'what does a safe digitised and distributed to partners, agencies and individuals who have supported GMP throughout the year.

On Thursday 1 December 2016, Chloe paid a special visit to FHQ where she was personally thanked by the Chief Constable. Chloe is very much looking forward to her prize of a day out at Hough End with the Mounted and Dog Unit.

eton s, 8, from Middl Heidi Maunder p, -u er nn ru e Th

Cooking up the perfect Christmas THIS year our Christmas campaign focuses on one of the UK’s favourite past-times – food.

An award-winning TV chef has joined Greater Manchester Police’s 2016 Christmas campaign, giving tips on how to create the perfect recipe for a safe and happy Christmas.

Adam Reid, one of the winners of this year’s Great British Menu is backing the Force’s campaign which officially launched on Thursday 1 December.

GMP has created four quick fire, no nonsense recipe videos which will be shared throughout December, the first one being posted on 1 December on social media and on GMP’s website. Each of the videos highlights one of the important messages to remind people how to stay safe this Christmas and consider our actions.

We all know that Christmas can be a stressful time - spending money on presents and preparations for the festive season, Christmas events to organise or attend. Add in the fact that many members of the family are under the same roof at one time, it can be hard to get everything right and make everyone happy.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “Every Christmas it is important to remind people how to stay safe throughout the festive season. It tends to be a time for overindulgence but it’s critical to stay in control and consider the consequences of our actions.

“Sharing our messages in this way will

The prospect of a prison meal didn’t appeal to Chef Adam Reid - he’s backing our perfect recipe for a safe and happy Christmas campaign

help prompt people into thinking ahead and remember that their actions can have life changing results, for instance reminding people that even the smallest amount of drugs and alcohol can impair their ability to drive - the safest amount to have is none.

“GMP will be working hard throughout the festive season to help to protect the people of Greater Manchester.”

As well as giving hints and tips on the perfect recipe, GMP is asking people which ingredients they think make a safe and happy Christmas. A speciallydeveloped web app has been produced to allow people to create and share their own recipes for a safe and happy Christmas, which can then be posted on social media. The Christmas recipe web app is available on our website, Twitter account and Facebook page.

Santa’s little helpers invade HQ FOOD items have been flooding in from all areas of the force to support GMP’s annual hamper appeal.

A class of school children from St Anne’s Primary School, Audenshaw came to Force HQ to help pack the hampers for local communities.

They managed to package over 40 hampers and were treated to the full GMP experience. They got to sit in a police car and try on lots of riot gear and they even got a visit from police dogs Genie and Banjo To thank them for their help, Santa made a special visit and gave them an early present.

There is still time to get involved.

Drop off locations have been set up across the Force for officers and staff to donate their items for those less fortunate in the community. This appeal is about reaching out to everyone in our communities and bringing people together to help others, regardless of their faith or background.

We aim to deliver the hampers to those who might be struggling over the festive period.

You can donate your items up until Monday 12 December.

Rochdale is on a Mission

Pictured: Janette Stott, Michael Cartwright, Chris Sykes, Ben Brunt and Valerie Lamb

ROCHDALE have raised an impressive £2,505 towards the Cash for Kids Mission Christmas appeal.

Their charity ball, held in September, raised money through ticket sales and selling raffle tickets with prizes donated by the community. This was the first time this event was held and has been such a great success that they plan to hold it again next year.

The Rochdale team presented the cheque to Key 103’s Mike Toolan and Brooke Vincent from Coronation Street at the Key 103 studio. What a fantastic kick start GMP’s fundraising for Mission Christmas.

Damieon takes centre stage ON Wednesday 16 November Key 103’s Cash for Kids launched its annual Mission Christmas campaign to help thousands of disadvantaged children in the region.

The launch night had representatives from companies across greater Manchester and PC Damieon HartleyPickles was there to speak on behalf of GMP’s contribution to the mission.

PC Hartley-Pickles being interviewed There are currently 1 in 3 children living in poverty in at the launch event Greater Manchester. This campaign aims to protect the

magic of Christmas by collecting as many new or unwrapped gifts as possible that will help Santa deliver presents to families who have nothing to open on Christmas morning. This year the campaign aims to raise over £2 million to help as many children as possible.

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Singing their praises WEDNESDAY 30 November played host to the annual GMP Christian Police Network (CPN) Carol Service.

The event that was hosted at Sedgley Park chapel welcomed members of the Christian faith to come together and celebrate under the theme Jesus’ Birthday: How we can know Jesus personally.

It was a great success with a visit from the GMP band, a reading from ACC Rob Potts and even a guest appearance from this years Great British Bake Off contestant Reverend

Lee Banfield.

The service raised lots of smiles and was followed by a few cheeky mince pies.

The CPN is open to all members of the police family and welcomes new members at anytime.

If you would like to be added to the CPN’s monthly e-newsletter or for more information about the network please contact Mike Russell on either gmp.christianpolicenetwork@g mp.police.uk or mike.russell@gmp.police.uk.

The meaning of Christmas: A Christian perspective IN the excitement of Christmas, it’s so easy to get swept up in everything going on that you forget what the season is about.

We spoke with Mike Russell from the Christian Police Network to see what Christmas means to him.

He said, “If I’m not working over Christmas, my day always starts with going to Church in the morning. We have a Christmas dinner and I do my

best to spend time with my family.

“Christmas is a very important time for Christians because fundamentally it’s about the birth of Jesus who Christians believe is the son of God. This would ultimately lead to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection at Easter.

“It’s not all about the presents and the Christmas lights, for Christians it’s about celebrating Christ.

“If you’re working and can’t find the time to go to church on Christmas day

itself, then try to find a moment where you can just be by yourself and think about the real meaning behind Christmas.

“At this time of year, many churches will be helping out with vulnerable or homeless people, so supporting these efforts can be a great way to give back.

“Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, what I would say is don’t forget about its true meaning in the bustle of the celebrations.”

For advice, support or to join in with the force’s Christmas celebrations, get in touch with the Christian Police Network.

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Man has a home for Christmas thanks to Bury officers ABOUT two years ago, a local man in Bury was going through a tough time in his life and found himself struggling.

Through this difficult period, Ian Lillis bounced around from sofa to sofa where he could often ended up sleeping rough on the streets of Bury town centre and the surrounding area.

This summer, the Bury Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing team that was led by Sergeant Abed Hussain started their initiative.

Their aim was to tackle the homelessness around Bury Town Centre, which was fast becoming an epidemic.

The team discovered that a lot of housed tenants in the community were pretending to be homeless beggars to earn some additional money.

They also came across several genuine people who really were down on their luck, like Ian Lillis.

The first thing the team worked to do was take a hard and fast stance to drive the people who didn’t need the money and were preying on the goodwill of the public, away.

This way, they could spend more time helping the people who were genuinely in need of the support with charities and partner agencies.

As part of this effort, Ian was looked after and introduced to several of these support services.

With police referrals to partner agencies, he was eventually homed and then discovered to his delight that he was due years of benefit pay which could be backdated.

Recently, Ian was able to move into his new home and when he received the backdated payments felt a renewed zest of life.

The team were sent a card by Ian that was addressed to the police officers who helped him and his friends out in the past, saying: “please have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best and god bless you all.”

Last Orders for Bob Pell A REPLICA pub situated on one of the street facades at the Claytonbrook training camp has been named in honour of the recently retired Chief Inspector Robert Pell.

Claytonbrook has a number of realistic looking sets, designed to assist officers in riot training. After his years of service the team thought it would be a nice tribute to have his name above the door and the Sir Robert Pell pub now sits pride of place along the make believe street.

Bob, who recently retired after 30 years’ service started his career at Lower Ince Police Station on the Wigan division in October 1986. Throughout his career he has served in a number of interesting roles including being a sergeant at Pemberton Police station, working as a custody officer , Neighbourhood Sgt and Inspector at Salford before returning to Wigan in January 2006 as Chief Inspector.

It was during his time at Wigan that he became a Bronze and then Silver Commander working at various grounds and events.

After a short time back at Wigan Robert then moved to the Trafford Division where he was able to utilise his experience as a Bronze and Silver Commander even travelling to Europe with Manchester United.

Finally in October 2013 Robert successfully applied for the Specialist Operational Training Chief Inspector role in OLWD before later retiring this year.

“One of the key aspirations I had was to take the training to a level where those receiving it would benefit greatly, appreciate and enjoy it but crucially enable them to keep safe, use force proportionately and at the same time maintain the highest levels of professionalism whilst at the same time maintains public confidence.

I have always been very passionate about policing and the great influence of good we can do. I feel immensely proud to have been a GMP officer for the last 30 years.”

A community hero understanding of the culture he could adapt policing to the different needs.

Phil was also an avid cycler and incorporated his community work into charity; raising funds through cycling trips across Bangladesh. He had previously won a silver medal in the 1971 UK National Track Championships and lead a healthy lifestyle, yet sadly he suffered a heart attack during a recent bike ride in Oldham. He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he passed away with his family by his side.

Not only a devoted family man to his wife, three children and four grandchildren, Phil was also a dedicated police officer. His efforts were greatly acknowledged and he was even awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for RETIRED constable and community hero services to the community and policing.

Phil Buckley sadly passed away in October Phil’s son Chris commented: “He has after suffering from a heart attack. touched a lot of people’s lives. We have been Phil who was based in Oldham and walked overwhelmed with the amount of people who the beats there for over 10 years was a real have offered their sympathies and support. It asset to both GMP and the Oldham has made us realise how popular he was. community. After retiring, he joined Oldham “He went the extra mile, literally, to help council’s enforcement team but before that he people, both as a police officer and when he went above and beyond to ensure that he was cycling. He was the fittest 69-year-old you could provide the best policing service to his could ever meet and he will never be local area. forgotten.”

He worked particularly closely with Phil’s dedication and hard work has left a Oldham’s Bangladesh communities, learning lasting legacy within the community. how to speak Urdu and Sylheti whilst Shaf Hussain commented “He was the immersing himself in the backgrounds and essence of community policing. He learnt the beliefs of the people. He even studied language, the beliefs, and the background of Bangladeshi at university to assist with his the people he served, in order to better strive role. He believed that if he had a better for a better community.

Flight of a lifetime

Pictured: Ian Hurst, third from the right, with family and colleagues

TO celebrate PCSO Ian Hurst’s 60th birthday and his many years of service to GMP, he was surprised with a once in a life time flight aboard the police helicopter.

PSCO Hurst has been with GMP for over 24 years, originally as a Special then became one of the first intakes of PCSOs to GMP in 2003.

Ian is known amongst his colleagues as a stand out employee who serves the public in Bury with fantastic enthusiasm. To recognise his contribution, his peers wanted to help him celebrate his 60th birthday in style so they arranged for a very special and unique opportunity that is usually reserved for police officers.

On Thursday 10 November Ian was given the surprise of his life at the National Police Air Service (NPAS), Barton Aerodrome, as he accompanied the crew in a flight aboard the police helicopter. His family and colleagues were there at the aerodrome to surprise Ian with presents and to watch him take flight.

The team at the aerodrome took Ian on an aerial tour around Manchester, flying over Bury station where his colleagues were outside waving. He even got to see the team in action, getting involved in a foot chase of a suspect in Bolton.

Ian said “It was a fantastic surprise. Being part of the chase was really good, it is something I will never forget”. This was Ian’s first ride in a helicopter and he hopes it’s not his last.

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What’s on at Christmas Aladdin GMP Christmas

9 December– 8 January

Carol Concert Key 103 Mission

12 December Manchester Cathedral

Going the extra mile THIS year’s New York Marathon took place on Sunday 6 November with over 50,000 runners, and amongst the masses were six of our very own GMP officers.

The team were running in memory of fallen colleagues PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone. They, alongside Nicola’s father Bryn and representatives from other police forces, were raising money towards the PC Nicola Hughes Memorial Fund.

The money raised will be helping to fund a trauma counselling project.

The team has been training hard for the event, and they crossed the finish line with an average between them of 4 hours 50 minutes. PC Jennifer Smith was the fastest member of the team with an impressive 3 hours and 59 minutes.

Michelle Davies, who was a close colleague of Nicola’s and is currently a Family Liaison Officer at GMP commented: “It was amazing and an experience not to be missed. We ran from

Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx and finally we finished through Manhattan, crossing the line in Central Park. It was an honour to take part and run with some of the UK’s other police services. It’s great we can all come together to support a great cause”.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins commented: “They have shown dedication, determination and above all else they have displayed pride and integrity in honoring our fallen colleagues.”

Christmas Volunteering

What’s on this Christmas Meet the Reindeers Every day until

Manchester Opera House

21 December Trafford Park

Katherine Jenkins

Christmas eve

19 December

Cheshire Reindeer Lodge

Bridgewater Hall

Peter Pan 2 December– 8 January

Key 103 Xmas Live

Best Ever Christmas Show and Story of Jack Frost

Friday 9 December Manchester Arena

Stockport Plaza

Christmas Carol Singalong

17-18 December

Christmas Eve

Manchester Arena

Bridgewater Hall

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Winter Wonderland

6 December– 16 January

10 December– 1 January

Lowry

Event City

Christmas City—BBC 1, 19 December onwards www.pcnicolahughesmemorialfund.co.uk.

A five-part series looking at what it takes to deliver a truly special Christmas for the shoppers, workers, residents and tourists in Greater Manchester.

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Highlights of the year

SEPTEMBER saw Bolton’s first Pride Parade hit the streets in a kaleidoscope of colour. A GMP contingent joined 350 people and organisations to walk and dance through the streets of the town centre. The event saw many people come together to celebrate LGBT communities and equality.

IN October, the emergency services got together in Stockport to put on a fun day for the community. The Emergency Services Day was held to help raise awareness of local services and to provide crime prevention and safety advice for members of the public. Local ice hockey team Manchester Storm also attended to show their support and over £500 was raised for Stockport Without Abuse, a local charity dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse.

IN May, Rochdale opened the Birch room to help assist victims of crime. The room is a comfortable space for victims to use. Funding for the furnishings was provided by Victim Support in Manchester.

Claire Powell, contract manager for Victim Support said: "We're delighted to have funded the furnishing of the Birch room, which we hope will aid the police and Victim Support staff to better support victims."

SCHOOL children from across Salford took a stand against organised crime and gangs with a special theatre challenge which took place in May. In an initiative developed by Salford multi agency team, Project Gulf, the young people demonstrated their commitment to a safer Salford by spending two months creating a play to ‘Stand up for Salford’.

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Highlights of the year

A MEMORIAL stone was unveiled in July to honour PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes. This was the Police Memorial Trust’s 39th national memorial to fallen officers. MP David Cameron attended the private ceremony to officially unveil the stone. Other attendees who came to pay their respects included Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, local MPs, families of both officers and their colleagues.

IN June it was the Prestwich Carnival Parade. There was plenty of family fun to be had but also the challenge of keeping petty crime down as with any major public event. The GMP team took all of this in their stride and the organisers commented that it was ‘the best police attendance and engagement we have ever had’. Our officers even got into the swing of things and a video of the officers doing the Cha Cha slide went viral in the local press, showing that police can party too.

MANCHESTER was honoured to host the official Olympic heroes parade after a fantastic performance from Team GB athletes. GMP were praised on the well executed event.

IN May, City of Manchester pulled together 100 specials across GMP to help inspire volunteers and organisations to work with the police as part of Give and Gain day.

Activities included ANPR operations, executing search warrants and an enhanced visibility at a local level.

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Highlights of the year

FOUR of Oldham’s cadets went on a life changing trip when they were offered the opportunity to go to Uganda to support charity RETRAK. Cadets Gareth Durose, Rob Slater, Ciaran Collins and Aaron Bell all spent a year fundraising so that they could join colleagues and partners to help the street children there.

JUNE half term saw the Force Museum’s busiest day ever recorded with over 1500 visitors in the space of five hours! The museum was awarded the prestigious Visit England Quality Rose Mark once again and with a generous grant from the High Sheriff’s Trust, the AV room will be refurbished into a community room.

IN Wigan Paul Hitchen was jailed for a catalogue of violent sexual offences including seven counts of rape. The 35 year old was sentenced to a total of 29 years at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of 28 offences including rape, sexual assault, actual bodily harm and one count of false imprisonment. His victims included girls as young as 13 and 15. The court heard how he befriended and manipulated them before he turned abusive and demanded sexual favours.

Thanks to the bravery of one of the victims coming forward in 2014, Wigan officers were able to build a strong case against the offender, who initially denied the offences ever took place.

TRAFFORD division got an excellent result from Operation Portland which aimed to target organised crime groups in the area. The operation was launched in response to a series of crimes in 2015 which targeted celebrities, spanned force areas and saw escalating cases of violence. Thanks to the hard work of the team behind Operation Portland, 2016 saw the offenders brought to justice with combined sentences of over 15 years. Taking this OCG off the streets has meant that the area has seen a significant reduction in burglaries and the whole community has benefitted.

THE inaugural STARS awards in October celebrated the finest talent in GMP. It was held at the stunning Imperial War Museum.

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e crim y r e Cyb e stud cas

Festive purchase leaves bank account empty

WITH almost 30% of Christmas sales now happening online, people are increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime around the festive period. We spoke to a woman who had her bank account wiped when a fraudster managed to steal her login details following a purchase made online.

“It was the week before Christmas and I was drawing some money out of the cash machine.

“An error message popped up claiming I had no available funds and panic set in as I tried to do the maths in my head. Had my pre-Christmas spending really been that bad?

“I rushed to the bank where the man behind the counter printed off my statement which showed that someone had taken payments of £499 from my

account every day that week.

“The bank hadn’t alerted me because all these payments had been made through my PayPal account, which is considered a ‘safe’ option on the bank’s system.

“When doing some shopping online a few weeks before, I had entered my PayPal logins on a screen that I thought was secure.

“Apparently someone had been able to hack into the screen, so they were able to see my password and email address, giving them full access.

“Once they breached my account, their first move was to change the email address so that when PayPal tried to contact me about suspicious activity, it went straight through to the criminal.

“Which left me staring at my statement

as the fact that I didn’t have a penny to my name slowly sunk in.

“The man at the bank kept asking if I was ok, confused as to why I hadn’t broken down into tears yet.

“Still, because the money had come out through PayPal rather than my account, the bank weren’t able to do that much.

“A long wait on hold to PayPal later, I spoke with someone who told me that all the money should be returned within the week.

“This left me, a week and a bit to go before Christmas, with a cancelled card, no money and the question of whether the funds would actually be returned.

“I was angry at the person who had done this, not for taking my money but for the way that they’d gone about it.

“My main thought was what if this person had done the same to an old lady who didn’t even realise her account had been wiped, or someone who didn’t have friends and family to help them out.

“In a time that could have been really terrible, my friends and family showed what the Christmas spirit is about.

“Almost everyone who heard what had happened offered to lend me money, my mum put some emergency funds in my account so that direct debits could go through and my partner and friends rallied around to make sure I was ok.

“As PayPal had promised, all the money was returned to my account and I moved it straight across to my secure bank

account before shutting down everything with PayPal. “The whole thing made me realise how vulnerable you are when you’re online because it’s so easy for someone to take your most personal details.

“As a result, I’m a big fan of reporting phishing emails I get through from big companies and always check email addresses for anything remotely suspicious.”

For advice on staying safe online look here, or you can speak to someone in the cybercrime support team here.

Trapped in the web is GMP’s campaign to raise awareness of cybercrime

Spotlight

Five steps to a safer Christmas 1

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BE safe online, you could be at risk of fraud this Christmas as this is the prime time for scrooges who want to ruin your online experience. Help keep yourself and your family safe online: • Look at the address – if it’s https – the ‘s’ stands for secure • The padlock in the web address means the page is secure • Remember not everyone is who they say they are on the web therefore – that means we don’t always really know who you are talking to or who you are giving your money to!

Don’t get #trappedintheweb

HOME security is important so here are some hints and tips for you.

• If you have a house alarm, don’t forget to set it when you are out • Lock all your doors and windows • Add a light timer so it looks like someone is at home, even when you aren’t Remember #AlarmLocksLights Register your items on www.immobilise.com – this is free of charge and this can improve the chances of getting your possessions in the event of loss or theft.

Here are five steps to stay safe over Christmas and how you can help reduce the risk of crime happening to you...

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CONSIDER your personal safety when you go out to see family, friends, or doing your Christmas shopping. Be aware of your surroundings and keep valuables out of sight - purse bells can alert you if someone is trying to steal your purse or wallet.

Don’t forget to keep your drink with you at all times and never leave it unattended, never accept drinks from strangers and pace yourself alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks.

CHRISTMAS can be a very stressful time for people. There can be heightened family tensions, unrealistic expectations and worries about finances. This can then be fuelled by excessive drinking which can lead to domestic abuse.

It's important to break the silence and talk to someone. If domestic abuse is happening to you, or someone you know, please call the Police on 101 or the Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525 for help and advice, or visit endthefear.co.uk

Coming up in 2017...

Spring 

Our HR shared service centre with Trafford council goes live



Next round of staff engagement events will be taking place helping get to the heart of the changes that will make us fit for the future



100 new recruits join our ranks



PSUK sprint triathlon

Summer 

Launch of our Citizen Contract



Cash for Kids Superhero Day



Autumn 

NEVER drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Plan ahead, arrange alternative means of transport both that night and the following day. The smallest amount of drugs and alcohol can impair your ability to drive, which is why the safest amount to have is none #nonefortheroad

STARS Awards

Winter 

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Manchester International Festival returns

IOPS (the new Integrated Operational Policing System) will begin roll out

Don’t forget to visit the intranet news for all the latest updates on what’s coming up

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