NEWS 3
November 16, 2023 29 arrested as police launch day of action
Two men have been arrested following a raid on a property in Dukinfield. GMP Tameside’s Challenger Team exe- cuted a warrant at an address in the town suspected to be linked to drugs supply. Inside, police discovered more than £100,000 worth of drugs, around £30,000 cash, and a Rolex watch. Two men, aged 26, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Detective Constable Jake Orr from GMP Tameside Challenger said: “We have intelligence which suggests these individuals are senior members of an or- ganised crime gang who are responsible for flooding the streets of Manchester with cocaine, heroin and cannabis. “The drugs trade relies on exploita- tion and violence to operate, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue anyone involved, whilst ensuring those who are most vulnerable or at risk of exploitation get the support they need. “Through proactive, community fo- cused policing, we’ve been able to iden- tify these individuals and execute these warrant. “Information from the public plays an incredibly important role in these war- rants time and time again - please let us know if you have any concerns about drug activity in your local area.” If a crime is in progress, always dial 999. Alternatively, you can report it on - line using the Live Chat button or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Drugs and cash seized in swoop
A day of action launched by police and their partners across Tameside resulted in almost 30 arrests and the discovery of a cannabis farm. Illicit cigarettes and vapes worth tens of thousands of pounds were also seized, with a crackdown on speeders and illegal motorists. It was all part of GMP’s high-visibility, pro- active policing day of action called Operation AVRO and held across Tameside last Thursday. Superintendent Mike Walsh, of GMP’s Tameside district, said: “This AVRO was a sig- nificant blow to criminals behind operations, and we will continue to pursue them and bring them to justice. I would like to thank the public for their support as we continue to take the fight to the criminals to fight, prevent and reduce crime.” Tameside Council Executive Leader Cllr Gerald Cooney joined Supt Walsh and said: “This high visibility crackdown supports our wider, ongoing joint work that takes place day in, day out to tackle issues of concern in our local community. “It is important to us that local people feel safe and protected and it’s good to see such pos- itive results and feedback. Thank you to all the officers involved.” Early morning warrants took place in Hyde, Audenshaw, Denton and Mossley. One warrant at a property in Audenshaw resulted in two people being arrested on suspi- cion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, failing to appear at court and possession of suspected counterfeit goods. Officers successfully dismantled a large can - nabis farm in Hyde during another warrant.
Specialist officers raided the premises and seized a large number of plants and equipment. A multi-agency public street briefing took place in Ashton town centre, with staff from Tameside Council’s licensing, trading stand- ards and community safety teams joining forces ahead of a day of proactive policing. A total of 29 arrests for a range of offences occurred during the day of action. Meanwhile the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency took action at the same time in Droyls- den and Haughton Green. A total of 101 traffic offences were detected, including 72 speeding offences with five vehi - cles seized on the day and two people arrested. Neighbourhood Teams visited nine premises with other agencies following complaints re- ceived, resulting in nine positive seizures. Tameside Trading Standards Officers, GMP and @Wagtails UK Limited seized 35,660 illic- it cigarettes with a street value £23,179, 8.95kg of illicit rolling tobacco, with a street value of £5,012 and 1398 illegal vapes, with a street val- ue of £15,378. Tameside Council’s licensing team also car- ried out taxi and private hire checks with all found to be compliant. As well as the raids, officers also held events within local communities, including a crime prevention stall in Hyde run by PCSOs. Tame- side Council’s community safety team ran in- formation stands in Ashton Market Hall and Clarendon Shopping Centre in Hyde. GMP runs Operation AVRO from a different district within Greater Manchester each month, in a bid to tackle the communities’ top concerns.
RAIDS: Early morning warrants were issued at addresses in Hyde, Audenshaw, Denton and Mossley.
Bar keeps licence despite violence
Old Mill Farm Shop
A bar which has seen a string of violent incidents - including a man having part of his ear ‘bit- ten off’ on the dance floor - has kept its licence. Tameside council’s liquor li- censing panel carried out a re- view of the licence of the Back to the 80’s bar in Stalybridge af- ter a series of violent incidents at the venue. These included grievous bod- ily harm assaults involving both customers and staff employed at the premises, including one where a punter had his head stamped on by staff outside the venue. In November 2021 the li- censing department received information from GMP relating to an incident which resulted in a male customer having part of his ear bitten off while on the dance floor inside the venue, last week’s panel meeting heard. Documents stated police ar- rested the offender at the scene and the victim was taken to hos- pital for their injuries. In June 2022 a man was re- corded on CCTV within the bar – footage of which was shown at the hearing – to punch another customer leaving him collapsed on the floor, and sustaining in - juries including a fractured eye socket. The attacker remained in the bar and finished his drink. Licensing officers told the panel they had ‘lost faith’ in the ability of the premises to uphold the licensing objectives.
Tameside’s licensing manag- er Mike Robinson said that prior to the assault in July this sum- mer, video footage showed staff members ‘lying down, smoking and drinking’ in the ‘moments preceding the victim being ejected from the premises’. “Upon reviewing the CCTV footage from inside the prem- ises it was clear that door staff working at the premises on the 24th of July had not taken ap- propriate measures to prevent this incident from occurring,” he added. A statement read out on be- half of Police Inspector John Cesarz said he had ‘concerns’ about the management of the bar, while ward councillors Jan Jackson, Adrian Pearce and Christine Beardmore had also lodged representations to the hearing. In their joint statement they said that Stalybridge and Market Street was undergoing ‘substan- tial redevelopment’ and ‘late night drinking and thuggery does not fit in with this image’. Documents presented to the hearing stated there were 56 in- cidents that had occurred from last August to July of this year in connection with the bar. However the representative for the premises licence hold- er Whitaker said that many of these were ‘nonsensical’ as they bore no direct relation to the venue, such as people driving past and firing BB guns at prop -
erties on Market Street, and the number of incidents was closer to 30. Solicitor Andrea Forrest said: “It becomes a situation where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If you re- port an incident you’re doing the right thing but on the oth- er hand it’s notched up against your premises, so it’s a black mark.” Premises licence holder, Ian Whittaker said they had asked for a police van to park on Mar- ket Street to act as a deterrent, and he had put on more door staff than legally required in his venues to protect customers and ensure health and safety. The panel ruled against re- voking the licence, in favour of modifying its conditions in- cluding the opening times and sale of alcohol. It will close at 2.30am on Thursday to Satur- days, and 12.30am on Sunday, and stop serving alcohol half an hour before closing time. There must be three mem- bers of accredited door staff with high visibility armbands on from 11pm, and a metal de- tector wand must be in use for customers. The personal licence holder or the designated premises su- pervisor must be at the bar any time licensable activities are taking place. The decision can be appealed. by CHARLOTTE GREEN Local Democracy Reporter.
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