Halloween is upon us and MM can reveal that Manchester residents are no strangers to spooky encounters – with police handling more than 100 supernatural reports across the last three years.
Ghost, witch and alien sightings are just a handful of the creepy complaints made to Greater Manchester Police since January 2011.
There were also three reports from people claiming they had been abducted by aliens and 18 instances of witchcraft.
One traumatised individual contacted police in April 2011 claiming ‘Liam Gallagher is a ghost who steals things from her’ and ‘tries to kill her by giving her cancer’.
Another report detailed a Bury man who told police he had been chased around Prestwich by ‘hundreds of aliens’, before adding that he ‘had not had a drink or taken any drugs, just coffee’.
Michael James, an independent paranormal investigator from Atherton, 49, said previous traumas such as abuse and break-ups can often be responsible for such abnormal encounters.
He told MM: “I know for a fact that it’s always due to a circumstance in someone’s life. Always due.
“It’s always due to a trauma. It opens the doors, the corridors, to influences that we shouldn’t really be dealing with.
“I just know that there are always explanations for it.”
One case involved a spooked North Manchester man who said he had been abducted by aliens, but ‘felt daft to report it’ because he didn’t think police would believe him.
However some ghostly reports highlight the plight of pranksters abusing the 999 service.
In November 2011, a man dialled the emergency line and ‘requested to speak to Ghostbusters because he sees ghosts and wants them hoovered up’.
He then told the operator she ‘sounded fit and he could show [her] a thing or two’.
Diane Grandidge, GMP’s business lead for call-handling, has warned strongly against abuse of the service.
She said: “Every false or inappropriate 999 call wastes precious time that could be spent dealing with genuine emergencies.
“Apart from potentially putting somebody’s life at risk, misusing the 999 system is a criminal offence and we have the power to prosecute people for making hoax calls.”
Other reports included a woman who dialled 999 and asked for ‘brain police’, before asking why officers wear uniforms ‘when they should be wearing alien outfits’.
A petrified South Manchester woman contacted the force in December 2012 saying ‘she is having curses and spells cast on her by unknown witches’.
Expert Mr James also delivered a warning to those considering engaging in paranormal activities.
The ghost detective added: “I’ve learnt from a lot of experiences myself and I’ve had experience with witchcraft over the years. I’ve studied that – I’ve seen how dangerous that can be.
“I’ve studied certain religions. I went to spirit circles over 20 years ago and they never did any good for me.
“I think they’re all dangerous and I think you should keep well away.”
Main image courtesy of Kavita with thanks
Inset image courtesy of David Fletcher with thanks
