Appeals in selected category

A man was abducted and forced to withdraw money by armed men.

The victim was asleep at his home on Woodhouse Lane, Wigan on Sunday 3 January, when a man holding a knife woke him up around 4.30am.

Another man was also in the room and they hit the victim around the head before tying him up and searching his house.

They stole a television and keys to the victim's car, a blue-green Vauxhall Corsa.

The first happened in Lindsey Road at midnight when a 20-year-old man was bundled in to his own car, a black VW Golf, and driven around the town by four men before being left in Links Way. It is believed the offenders left the scene in a car, believed to be a black Peugeot 307.

Grampian Police are investigating a suspicious incident that occurred about 1400hours on Tuesday 30 December 2008 at Thornhill Road, Elgin, Moray near to the Cotter Hoose Public House.

A 9 year old female was approached by a lone male driving a dark blue vehicle, described as being like a Scenic, and asked her if she would like to go with him.

The male is described as being white, 69 years old with short grey hair and wearing square framed glasses.

Detectives in Dungannon are appealing for information after a shop employee was abducted and forced to hand over money from the premises.

At about 11pm on Sunday 21 December, the man returned to his home in Coalisland, but before he could leave his car, a masked man got in.

The masked man was armed with a handgun and told the employee to drive back to the shop at Washing Bay Road.

He was told that another member of the gang was in the house with the employee's family.

Detectives from the PSNI Crime Operations Major Investigation Team are appealing for information following a robbery in which a woman and her two young children were held captive.

A number of men called at their Hannastown home between 4:30 and 6:30 on Thursday December 18 and forced them into a blue Ford Transit van, which was driven to the Boucher Road area.

The woman's partner who works for a large retail company in Sprucefield was told to drive his own car to work and take money from a safe.

Police are asking for witnesses to an incident where a man is believed to have asked a 14-year-old girl to get into a lorry at Willington Street, Maidstone on 6 December.

The incident occurred when a girl was walking along Willington Street in the direction of the post office just before 4pm, when a lorry pulled up and the passenger leaned out of the window and spoke to her.  

The passenger then got out of the vehicle and followed the girl until she went inside one of the properties nearby.  

Grampian Police are investigating a suspicious incident which occurred on Clerkhill Road, Peterhead.  

About 8.00 am on Monday 15 December 2008, a silver Volkswagen Golf, or similar sized motor car was parked at the junction of Clerkhill Road and Forman Drive, Peterhead.

The driver of this vehicle spoke to a 14 year old local school girl who became alarmed as he was not known to her.  

At around 4pm on Friday (5 December 2008) a seven year old girl was crossing a road near to the A38, Gloucester Road, when she was approached by a man who asked her to follow him down a lane.

The victim refused and ran to a relative's house.

She explained what had happened to her uncle who looked out of the window and saw the man waiting but he left the scene.

Police would now like to speak to a man who is described as white, around 15-18 years old, of average build, with brown or black hair, brushed up at the front.

Strathclyde Police is appealing for information after the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old girl in Irvine on Sunday 30 November 2008.

The twelve-year-old girl was walking along Woodlands Avenue towards Caldon Road around 7pm on Sunday night when she passed a silver vehicle which was parked facing her on the road.

There were two men within - one in the driver seat and another in the front passenger seat.

Detectives at Greenock are appealing for information after a 13 year old girl was approached by a male in a vehicle on Thursday 11 December 2008.

Between 0810 and 0825 hours, the girl was making her way to school along Newark Street in Greenock when a green coloured vehicle drew up behind her.

The driver tried to engage her in conversation and entice her into the car.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses following an incident that occurred in Hatfield on Sunday, December 8.  

The incident occurred at around 3.45pm on Travellers Lane when a 10-year-old girl, who was walking near to the junction of Northdown Road, was approached by a man who grabbed her arm.

The girl managed to break free and ran off and the police were called shortly afterwards.  

The girl was uninjured during the incident.  

The suspect is described as a white man, around 17-years-old and of average build.

A man tried to abduct and sexually assault a teenage girl in Bolton.  

At about 9am today, Monday 8 December 2008, a 13-year-old girl was walking along Ferns Grove, Heaton, when she was approached by a man who tried to sexually assault her as he pulled her towards a car.  

The girl broke free and ran to school.  

The offender is described as:

Gardai have arrested another male this afternoon as part of their investigation into prostitution and human trafficking.

The man in his 20's was arrested in the Co.Carlow area.

He is detained at Athy Garda station under Sec 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

This brings to seven the number of people arrested in this jurisdiction.

As part of the overall operation, Gardai have also seized computer equipment and documantation.

The operation is ongoing and you will be notified of further updates

Gardai are investigating an incident this morning the 4th of December 2008 where a family were held hostage at a house in Sutton Co Dublin.

A wife and two teenage children were held hostage and the husband an employee of An Post was forced to go the Post Office in Edenmore, Dublin 5.

A sum of money was stolen during the incident.

A number of crime scenes are preserved and a full investigation is under way.

On the 3rd December 2008 An Garda Síochána in cooperation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, S.O.C.A. Dyfed Ponys, Police Wales and the United Kingdom Border Agency carried out a number of searches in relation to the activities of an organised crime gang suspected of involvement in prostitution and suspected trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation.

A total of nine brothels were searched throughout this jurisdiction in Cavan, Drogheda, Athlone, Mullingar, Sligo, Kilkenny, Enniscorthy, Newbridge, and Waterford.