Police have slammed a 'misleading' video that claimed to show masked vigilantes destroying a drug dealer's car - supposedly as a response to a failure to combat crime in the area.

The video, which surfaced last week, warned criminals in Blackrod, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, that they were 'playing with the wrong vigilantes' amid reports of drug dealers and car thieves being confronted in the streets.

It showed a man clad in a balaclava attacking what he said was a suspected drug dealer's car with an axe. He then winched it up 10ft in the air on a forklift truck and drops it to the ground.

However Chief Inspector Clark Bowers of Greater Manchester Police's Bolton Borough, said that while the video 'appears to be very real', it was 'fake news'.

'It is not a true reflection of the people of Blackrod nor of the current picture of crime in the area and it is very misleading,' he said.

He added that police had identified the person in the video and established that it was staged. However, he added, 'although it was not a good decision to make, there was no malicious intent.'

'Unfortunately, before we were able to investigate this fully, it was shared a number of times on social media and used by some newspapers, causing unnecessary worry and panic.

He appealed to residents to 'work with us, not against us' - but admitted police were 'not always able to investigate every crime when there aren't forensic opportunities, CCTV or a likelihood of a conviction.

But, he said, 'please, let us be the ones to make that assessment.'

While it the Blackrod video was apparently staged, vigilante groups elsewhere have been increasingly taking crime fighting into their own hands, with volunteers patrolling the streets of Basildon and Wickford in Essex in a bid to deter gangs, prevent break-ins and stop vandalism.

The vigilantes have no formal training and pass on information to police and are hoping to team up with the famous Guardian Angels, from New York, after a trial meeting last week.

In the video now said by police to have been staged, a man with an axe attacks a suspected drug dealer's car

After issuing a chilling warning to the camera, the man then takes an axe to the car.

After swinging the axe at the car, he then winches it up 10ft in the air on a forklift truck and drops it to the ground. Police slammed the staged video as 'fake news'

Blackrod, a former mining village, has a population of around 5,000 and is reportedly the site of a Roman station

In the staged, 38-second video, posted on Facebook, the masked 'vigilante' tells the camera: 'To the criminals of Blackrod who think they can go around robbing f*****g shops, stealing cars like this, dealing f*****g drugs, driving round estates, pinching people's tools.

'You're playing with the wrong vigi f*****g lantes.

Posts on the video congratulate the revenge act however others expressed doubts about the action being taken.

The person who posted the video wrote: 'Everyone in Blackrod is living in fear of these scum bags robbing house and vehicles.

'Something is done about it and people start moaning. We can't win. The vehicle was not reported as stolen.'

Another writes: 'Well it's coming to something when some people have to take matters into their own hands to make the town safe well done.'

Another said: 'Scary that it has come to this hope the 'Vigilantes' don't end getting into more trouble from the police than the scumbags terrorising our village.'

While another writes: 'I understand the sentiment but in my opinion this is not the way to deal with it !...Someone is going to get hurt or in serious trouble..I don't know what the solution is but it definitely not this !!...'

Greater Manchester Police is struggling to cope with the strain of Government cuts and has lost 2,000 officers and 1,000 civilian workers since 2010.

It is also tasked with finding extra savings of around £26million for the 2017/18 budget.

In February last year, Horwich Police Station, which is the closest one to Blackrod, closed to the public, and the GMP website advises villages they should now direct their inquiries to Bolton Police Station.

Cllr Isabel Seddon, chair of Blackrod Town Council, urged residents not to take matters into their own hands.

In comments under the video online, several residents announced their support for the supposed vigilantes and said they were fed up of the crime blighting their area

Though not everyone was supportive of the vigilantes and local councillors and Greater Manchester Police have urged have-a-go-heroes to leave it to the authorities

Some residents in the village of Blackrod are unhappy with recent police cuts

She said: 'The council feels strongly against any vigilantes. We are totally confident that it can be dealt with by the correct authorities.

'It is very negative to have people talking about taking matters into their own hands. The council's view is that this should be discouraged and we hope that the police will be able to step up and protect the residents in the way we would like.'

Cllr Seddon added: 'I have lived in Blackrod for 40-odd years and have never felt threatened. It is not a violent place but that makes any crime seem unusual.

'I would not say we have had a spate. I don't know what the cause is but this is unusual - whether it is a sign of the times with a lot of young people unemployed I do not know.

How crime figures in Blackrod have headed in the wrong direction since police cuts Blackrod, a former mining village, has a population of around 5,000 and is reportedly the site of a Roman station. The latest crime figures available show there were 156 crimes reported in Horwich and Blackrod in November compared to 143 during the same period last year. Of those more than 30 were for anti-social behaviour. There were six burglaries reported, 18 vehicle crimes and 17 for criminal damage and arson. Residents said they had noticed a spike in crime in the town. Eric Spencer-Smith, general manager of the Mercure Bolton Georgian House Hotel, said he understood there had been a 'spate' of robberies in the town. He added: 'I think there have been a number of house burglaries too. There has been a lot going on and residents have raised their concerns with local authorities. 'Crime has gone up and I've never known it be this bad but it is not just Blackrod. It's Bolton in general. 'I know people have been encouraged not to go down the route of being a vigilante. That has been the message from the local authority and I can't say I have seen any large groups of people. 'Every action has a result. If you reduce policing levels you are opening the door but whenever I have put in a request with the police they have been very good. I can't criticise them.' Greater Manchester Police is struggling to cope with the strain of Government cuts and has lost 2,000 officers and 1,000 civilian workers since 2010. It is also tasked with finding extra savings of around £26million for the 2017/18 budget. In February last year, Horwich Police Station, which is the closest one to Blackrod, closed to the public, and the GMP website advises villages they should now direct their inquiries to Bolton Police Station. A GMP spokesman urged residents not to take matters into their own hands and said as a force they must allocate their resources appropriately. Advertisement

Who are the Guardian Angels? The Guardian Angels began in 1979 and quickly expanded to other cities, welcomed by some people as a tough-minded neighborhood watch - but derided by others as loose-cannon, publicity-seeking vigilantes. By the mid-1990s, some chapters folded and the Guardian Angels' reputation took a hit when Sliwa acknowledged fabricating some of their early exploits. By 2006, they had a $200,000 New York state grant to do online safety education, and by 2015 they counted about 5,000 members in 18 countries. In New York, Guardian Angels still patrol parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx regularly. Advertisement

'It is not just Blackrod that no longer has a dedicated community police officer but this type of crime is happening at night. Local police officers are an advantage to any community but I do not think it's down to a lack of local police.

'I think there is an unnecessary fear and there has been an extreme reaction from some members of the public because it is in contrast with the peaceful village that we are used to. It is unusual for Blackrod so it's frightening people.'

One local businessman, who asked not to be named, said: 'People have been coming in saying 'have you heard about such and such?'.

'There seems to be a lot of people knocking around in the evenings being shady.

'We have heard about car crime - there seems to have been quite a lot of cars stolen or work vans going missing in a short period of time.

'From what I have heard it's been going on for the last four or five months.. People are just getting peeved about it.

'We used to have a dedicated police community support officer who was great. He would always come in and make sure things were okay but I think he got ill a couple of years ago and hasn't been replaced.

'I have seen a few posts on Facebook saying it is time we sort it out on our own but I do not think that is the best solution to the problem. I think they feel no one is helping them.'

Megan Walsh, manager of florist Wild and Wondrous Flowers, said they had not experienced any crime but had heard there had been a lot of burglaries in the area.

She said: 'There are no community officers so people have been trying to sort it on their own. People are just sick and tired of it.

'I think the police should handle it but if they are not people feel like they have to take it into their own hands.'

Eric Spencer-Smith, general manager of the Mercure Bolton Georgian House Hotel, said he understood there had been a 'spate' of robberies.

He said: 'I think there have been a number of house burglaries too. There has been a lot going on and residents have raised their concerns with local authorities.

'Crime has gone up and I've never known it be this bad but it is not just Blackrod. It's Bolton in general.

'I know people have been encouraged not to go down the route of being a vigilante. That has been the message from the local authority and I can't say I have seen any large groups of people.

'Every action has a result. If you reduce policing levels you are opening the door but whenever I have put in a request with the police they have been very good. I can't criticise them.'

A resident, who gave his name as Eddie, 71, said there had been a few break-ins over the last few months.

The retired wagon driver said: 'It is happening to cars too. There's not been a lot but you never saw it like this 10 or 15 years ago.'

Cllr Ann Cunliffe, ward councillor for Horwich and Blackrod, said she had arranged a meeting with the local police team to discuss crime and the vigilante video.

She said: 'It is a problem across Bolton. The area is suffering from a shortage of police officers which is due to cuts from central government.

'The crime figures have gone up in the last few months. Criminals are aware that there are no police out there. We have had a reduction in the numbers and police are working under extreme stress. I have every sympathy with them.

The latest crime figures available show there were 156 crimes reported in Horwich and Blackrod in November compared to 143 during the same period last year

Greater Manchester Police has urged residents not to take matters into their own hands

'Who wants vigilantes? We want a safe environment to live in. It is upsetting to a lot of elderly relatives and it is causing unrest in Blackrod. They want proper action not things like this.'

Blackrod, a former mining village, has a population of around 5,000 and is reportedly the site of a Roman station.

The latest crime figures available show there were 156 crimes reported in Horwich and Blackrod in November compared to 143 during the same period last year.

Of those more than 30 were for anti-social behaviour. There were six burglaries reported, 18 vehicle crimes and 17 for criminal damage and arson.

Eddie, 71, is a retired wagon driver and said there had been a spate of break-ins in recent months

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'How we respond to incidents is based on the threat harm and risk that each incident poses; where there is an immediate threat to someone's life, the response will be quicker than the response for a crime that has already happened.

'This is because we have to allocate our resources appropriately in order to protect those in our community who are the most vulnerable and prevent people from coming to harm.

'We will do all we can, by working with our partners and other agencies, to prevent crime before it happens and solve them where possible but we need people to work with us, not against us. Taking matters into your own hands is not the way to solve these issues.

'To solve a crime, we can use a lot of different resources available to us including the intelligence we receive from the public, from covert enquiries and from observations so we need you to let us know about crime in your area - it may already form part of an ongoing operation and your information could be the piece of the jigsaw we need to solve it.'

She said there are a number of PCSOs across the Horwich neighbourhood beat team, which covers Blackrod, and they are deployed on each shift where the greatest 'threat, harm and risk is'.

She added there are also ongoing projects across the area with local officers working with partner agencies to resolve issues in the area.