Most Recent Stories in Crime

New figures published by Staffordshire Police show that the Moorlands region has the lowest crime rate in the county. 2011/12 statistics revealed that 3,971 crimes were recorded in the district, at a rate of 39.8 crimes per 1,000 population - compared with a countywide average of 52.4 crimes. People in the Moorlands are therefore less likely to fall victim to burglary, robbery or vehicle theft. The overall number of crimes in the...

Staffordshire Police have appealed for information after robbers targeted the Betfred bookies on Derby Street last weekend. Two men entered the store and stole cash from behind the counter at around 5.45pm on Sunday, before making their way down Market Street. Police have said that both offenders were white and aged in their late 20s to early 30s. One was wearing sunglasses and a burberry baseball cap, while the other wore a dark...

Over 150 trees planted in Leek to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee have been stolen - less than 36 hours after local volunteers helped plant the saplings. Police have now stepped up patrols in their effort to find those responsible for taking the trees from Pickwood Recreation Ground and Brough Park. Police believe the thieves struck overnight on Monday, after 34 volunteers had helped plant the saplings, which were awarded to Leek...

Police have cautioned the man found walking down Ashbourne Road with a gun in the early hours of New Year's Day. Residents reported seeing a man staggering past their homes brandishing what looked like a gun as the evening festivities drew to a close, and police were called to the street. A man was arrested and released on bail after officers recovered an air weapon from a nearby house. The man has answered his bail and been handed a...

The Leek CSOB football coach who resigned his position after a sex scandal broke in September has now been jailed for four years. 51 year-old Robert McCleery groomed a schoolgirl before having a sexual relationship with her, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday. The court were told that he bought the girl presents before taking her to the Roches for sex when she was still under 16. Today, The Sentinel has revealed that...

Police in Staffordshire today began a week-long operation to tackle theft and burglary, and bring those involved to justice. 'Operation Impact' will run through to Saturday, and the force are hoping it will allow them to build on positive figures recorded between April and September, which showed that 'serious acquisitive crime' fell by 8%. Assistant Chief Constable Julian Blazeby said he hopes that residents across the county feel...

A man attacked at the White Lion pub in April has said he 'can not understand' why nobody has yet been charged over in incident. 33 year-old Rob Patalong, of Cheddleton, needed 64 stitches in a head wound after being left in a coma by the assault. One person, who remains on bail, has been arrested over the attack, with police saying the investigation is ongoing. Now, the father-of-two has spoken of his frustration to the Sentinel. ...

Police are hunting a thief who pretended to be ill while an accomplice stole two mobile phones from a Leek shop this weekend. Concerned staff at the Old Skool shop in St Edward Street called an ambulance after the man faked a medical condition. The incident happened between 3.30pm and 3.45pm on Saturday. A police spokesman said: "One of the men distracted the shop assistant by feigning a medical condition, while the second man...

A 22 year-old Leek man has been jailed for failing to comply with a community order. Stephan Ball was given the 18-month order last July, for aggravated vehicle taking. Ball appeared at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in March after he failed to report for a thinking skills programme on January 31 and for unpaid work on January 16. And he appeared at the same court again yesterday after failing to attend two unpaid work sessions on...

More than 3,500 fewer crimes have been committed across Staffordshire in the past six months. Figures released by Staffordshire Police this week show 33,730 crimes were committed from April to September. That compares with 37,292 offences over the same six months in 2010; a drop of almost 10 per cent. Violent crime, burglaries, robberies and car crime have also fallen across the county over the same period. The reduction comes as...