Youths 'wreaking havoc' in a Greater Manchester suburb will be targeted by officers this summer, as the force continues their hard clamp down on anti-social behaviour and crime. Bury town centre, which had become troubled with frequent incidents involving young people, sparked a major police initiative in the last year and saw more than 700 hours of extra policing of the streets.
It was coming out of lockdown restrictions that saw levels of anti-social behaviour in the town rise according to Greater Manchester Police, with young people meeting up with others to 'generally wreak havoc'. Popular shopping centres The Rock and Millgate are among the hotspots, as well as the Interchange, Kay Gardens and car parks.
And with the summer holidays continuing throughout August for schools and colleges, a multi-agency response will continue to tackle ASB, which police say is likely to increase once more. Operation Heartbeat has 'significantly reduced' the number of anti-social behaviour in the town centre in the past 12 months.
The neighbourhood team has made 44 arrests and performed 151 stop searches in just the last three months. All local shops or bars have the power to issue Civil Banning Notices to anyone undertaking ASB on their premises, in order to prevent them from entering for up to a year. Police can arrest those who breach this notice.
PCSO Mohammed Shahid, is a member of the Neighbourhoods Team said: “Coming out of lockdown saw the number of ASB incidents rise, as increased numbers of youths headed to the town centre to meet up with others and generally wreak havoc.
“Operation Heartbeat identified the areas where ASB incidents were on the rise – such as The Rock, Millgate, Bury Interchange, Kay Gardens and various car parks. In response, patrols have been increased and we have developed radio links with some of these hard-hit areas, so if anyone is identified on CCTV, we can be there straightaway to detain and arrest, preventing any further ASB from being committed.”
Inspector Scott Brady of Bury Central added: “Operation Heartbeat is going well and shows no signs of slowing down. We have the backing of Greater Manchester Police Serious and Violent Crime Reduction Unit and so medium-term Heartbeat will be with us until at least April 2023.
“As one of the smaller divisions within GMP, we are punching well above our weight. Some of the bigger divisions would be over the moon with results like we have achieved. Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. We have the busy summer months ahead and hopefully a big bounce back for the Town Centre now Covid is behind us”.
The large scale operation links with partner agencies, including social workers and Transport for Greater Manchester. The Transport Unit now has a dedicated crime investigation resource co-located within TfGM’s Control Centre, with 3,800 cameras across the network allowing for potential criminals to be monitored.
The Bury Bus Station Supervisor at Bury Interchange said: “We have developed a good relationship with the PCSOs, who are always checking in on us to make sure we are okay. Together with our own in-house initiatives, this increased visibility is helping to reduce the number of ASB offences being committed.”
And Bury Neighbourhoods Chief Inspector Samantha Goldie, added: “Bury Town Centre is a vibrant and bustling town which attracts communities across Greater Manchester and beyond. We are very proud to have the Purple Flag status and a Best Bar None licensing scheme both of which seek to make the Town Centre safer.
“Through Operation Heartbeat, Bury Town Centre Neighbourhood Team have worked relentlessly with the Local Authority to help create safer spaces and deter anti-social behaviour. As part of the force’s ongoing recruitment, additional officers are being deployed to Operation Heartbeat. If you’re interested in joining us as we work to make Greater Manchester Safer, apply to be a police officer via gmp.police.uk/recruitment.”
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