Police and Oldham borough councillors will meet on Wednesday night, as the authorities aim to prevent the spread of rioting seen in Manchester and Salford.
Tuesday evening was a quiet one in Oldham, with Greater Manchester Police stressing it had received no reports of disorder in the borough. You can watch a news conference given late on Tuesday night by ACC Garry Shewan and Manchester councillor Pat Karney by clicking on the box above.
Tory member for Failsworth West, Cllr Ian Barker, gave this update on the Oldham situation on his Twitter account: “Council, police and partners still positively working together. No complacency!”
Greater Manchester’s Chief Constable, Peter Fahy, issued this statement regarding Tuesday’s trouble in Manchester and Salford: “My officers acted extremely courageously and faced the violence head on as they tackled the disturbances. There is no doubt that these were gangs that were determined to cause trouble with no regard to people or property.”
He went on: “There were around 100 buildings targeted and some of these include big names and small family businesses. These individuals have attacked their own communities.”
A total of 113 people were arrested by Greater Manchester Police during the riots, and Chief Constable Fahy said more arrests would follow. GMP has begun to issue images of people it wants to speak to in connection with the trouble, and you can see those on the force’s Flickr page here, and its Facebook site here.
The Chief Constable added: ““We will not rest until we have arrested and put these criminals before the courts. Greater Manchester is back to work this morning and we will ensure it is business as usual. Anyone who recognises the people in the images or has any information can call the Greater Manchester Police information appeal line on 0800 092 0410 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The force has been keeping its Twitter account updated with the latest official information, and you can access that here.
Speaking yesterday afternoon, before the worst of the violence broke out in Manchester and Salford, Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams said: “It’s been shocking to watch the scenes of violence unfolding in parts of London and other cities over the last few days. This violence and vandalism is inexcusable criminal behaviour.”
Ms Abrahams went on: “I’ve been in touch with our local police and they are monitoring the situation very closely. This is a time for calm and common sense. We need to stand together as one community, keeping Oldham safe for all.”
Cllr Ken Hulme
Cllr Ken Hulme, Vice Chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council, used this website to comment: “The worry for many of us is that if the police are drawn into disturbances in the centre of Manchester, Salford, Oldham or elsewhere that will leave Saddleworth without police cover.”
He continued: “We are already a prime target for criminals using the M62 as a quick way into and out of our area. I am concerned that criminal groups will use disturbances and the absence of police cover to come to Saddleworth in significant numbers.”
Cllr Hulme concluded by suggesting: “Should we consider setting up local residents groups to protect our villages and hamlets if the police haven’t got the capacity to do the job? I think we need to look long and hard at the issue.”
He said he would be interested to hear any comments on that suggestion. So if you’ve got a view on that or any other aspect of this story, feel free to leave it below this article.
I would like to reassure residents that Officers across the Oldham Division, including my own team are working much longer hours at the moment to ensure it is business as usual for our Neighbourhoods during this challenging period.
Whilst I understand there may be local concerns in relation to events in Manchester City Centre, my team will be working hard to ensure we continue to be as visible as possible, and meeting the needs of our local Community.
Kind regards,
Inspector Danny Milovanovic
Saddleworth and Lees NPU
I’m sure you are Inspector and I have a high regard for you and the work of the Saddleworth police officers.
But what happens if the police are overwhelmed by events and local police officers are sent off to help quell inner city disturbances ? And if the 999 service is swamped by phone calls and the police and emergency services just can’t cope.
What happens if as in large parts of London (and Manchester) this week the police are absent and unable to protect the public ?
On top of this of course are more substantial cuts in police numbers in Great Manchester in the near future.
I think this issue has to be addressed. I want the rule of law and I want the police to oversee it – but what happens if that breaks down ?
Cllr Hulme I think you are scaremongering, Are you trying to encourage youths to come over to Saddleworth and then you can say I told you so. That is the kind of talk that encourages these yobs
No Elaine
I don’t want to encourage these yobs – I want to see them dealt with with full force of the law and I want to see Saddleworth – people and business – protected from the mayhem we have seen elsewhere.
We are not dealing with just a few disparate youths but with organised criminal activity with gangsters lurking in the background.
In the past month four of my fellow parish councillors have been victims of crime – one had her front door kicked in the middle of the day and all her jewelry stolen, two other had their car stolen from their driveway and another had his laptop nicked while having a meeting with local police.
Saddleworth already is a target for opportunist criminals, some armed, coming from both sides of the Pennines on the M62 using the motorway for a quick getaway.
I’m not scaremongering – I’m trying to raise legitimate concerns which local people have raised with me.
And yes after what I’ve seen on
my TV screen this last week I’m not scared but I am very worried and I think I have every right to be so.
Cllr Hulme The point I was trying to make was you stating we may be without police cover and leaving us vulnerable, this will surely frighten a lot of people especially the elderly and telling the criminals what a vulnerable state we may be left in and I dont think you should be broadcasting this fact. That is my opinion as an oap
The scumbags that are looting our cities have got shopping lists for nice shiny boxed goods that they can sell on eBay.
What is happening in our cities is very different to a few robberies, no matter how scary. I sympathise with those people in Saddleworth that have been traumatised by crime. Ken Hulme should know better than to start scaremongering – he knows how stretched the police are.
I agree with you Elaine – scaremongering is silly and downright stupid.
How unsurprising to see Cllr Hulme being as magnanimous as ever. Your first thoughts, as always, are not for the common good of your town, your county or indeed your country but of your own little piece of turf. Maybe, just maybe, the police have a better idea of their resources and how to deploy them than you do?
Do you see the irony, at all, of your views as compared to the feral rats that have been terrorising Manchester lately. Making sure they have their own little patch covered and be damned to everyone else?
Saddleworth was never going to be ‘attacked’ and your talk of armed criminals descending on Saddlworth simply puts me in mind of Corporal Jones. Try getting out more (beyond Saddleworth).
Perhaps it would be a good idea to reflect on our Prime Minister’s words; 9th July 2006.
David Cameron will completely re-engineer the Conservatives’ image on crime this week with a remarkable speech calling for more understanding of ‘hoodies’ and criticising what he calls short-term solutions to curb youth crime such as anti-social behaviour orders and curfews.
In a ground-breaking speech calling for more ‘love’ to be shown to adolescents, the Tory leader will attack bans on hooded tops – a symbol of urban menace to many adults – that were imposed by a shopping centre last year, arguing that shrouding their faces is a response to children’s own fear of crime against them, not a crime in itself.