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   Silver Cross stolen from Cathedral
Thieves stole a silver cross from Manchester Cathedral between 2.45pm and 5pm on 13 January 2012. It is believed the thief went into the cathedral posing as a visitor, but then removed the cross which was attached to a shelf by a chain. It is not known how the chain was removed but the thief then left the church with the cross before staff later realised it had been stolen. Police have now issued a picture of the cross and are appealing to anyone who has information about the theft to come forward. Police Sergeant Christopher Clarke said: "The religious significance of this cross cannot be overestimated and this cruel theft has caused the church a great deal of distress. "Understandably they are desperate for its return and I would appeal to anyone who has information about its whereabouts, or the identity of the thief, to call us immediately. "I also want to urge any scrap yards or metal dealers to be on their guard and if you are offered this item, please do not allow the thief to further profit from their callous actions and call us straight away. "Greater Manchester Police has launched Operation Alloy to target the problem of metal thefts across the county, and we are continuing to make arrests of those who steal metal for a quick buck. "This theft will cause outrage in the community because of the religious significance of the cross and I would urge people to help us find the culprits." Operation Alloy involves specialist operations and neighbourhood policing officers being supported by engineers from telecoms, electricity, water and transport networks to recover metals thought to have been stolen from their networks and arrest anyone suspected of being involved. Other partners supporting the operation include the Department of Works and Pensions checking for illegal workers and benefits fraud and the Environment Agency checking for safe disposal of waste materials. HM Revenue and Customs officers also check vehicles suspected of using red diesel and vehicle licensing officers will conduct checks on insurance and MOT certification. Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 3016 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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