Police in bid to crackdown on purse dipping in Otley (From Wharfedale Observer)

Police in bid to crackdown on purse dipping in Otley

7:43am Monday 22nd October 2007 in Local news By Amanda Greaves

POLICE in Otley are being offered cash to fight purse-dipping' thieves after a similar crackdown in Ilkley town cen-tre.

Leeds City councillor Graham Kirkland (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) is offering police help as he fears Keighley Police's Purse Chain initiative could move criminals further along the valley.

Crime reduction officers have been making Ilkley shoppers aware of the risks of light-fingered thieves stealing their purse from their bag, following a steady increase in the crimes re-cently. Police have also given out purse chains in Ilkley, which prevent thieves pulling purses out of bags.

Otley ward councillors gave money to police earlier this year to buy some of these chains, and Councillor Kirkland says he is keen to offer assistance to police in Otley once again. He is con-cerned that thieves who meet with little success in Ilkley in the wake of the Keighley Police initiative may move on to other town centres - and Otley may be next in line.

Coun Kirkland said: "We want to stop them before they even start."

He said Otley had been hit by purse snatchers before, leading to the ward councillors giving cash to local police so they could buy and distribute purse chains.