Making Bury a safer place

Illicit goods worth £30,000 were seized by council officers when they took part in last week’s multi-agency Operation Avro.

The day of action – both of enforcement and engagement – involved partnership working with Greater Manchester Police, the public sector and communities across the borough.

Trading standards and licensing officers visited seven premises with a sniffer dog, GMP and six Immigration officers.

They seized:

• 788 vapes
• 19.3kg hand-rolling tobacco (equates to 1,164 packets)
• 23,280 cigarettes (1,164 packets)
• Licensing officers spoke with 52 taxi/private hire drivers, of which 21 will require follow-up action.
• Environmental health staff issued a fixed penalty notice for failing to produce authority to transport waste, while a further six cases will be subject to investigation.

The approximate street value of the seized goods equates to £30,334 which is now off the streets of Bury. During one of the visits, officers discovered a quantity of drugs in a licensed premises which was subsequently seized by GMP, who arrested two people.

There will now be further criminal investigations and possible enforcement action.

Other highlights of the Operation Avro action day:

Traffic

• Roadside vehicle stops took place near the Maccabi Centre in Prestwich and on Walmersely Road, with roving patrols during the day.

• Some 127 traffic offences were dealt with, including 73 speeding offences, and eight vehicles were seized.

Patrols

• Council staff helped to dismantle the site of a cannabis farm.

• The anti-social behaviour team carried out joint patrols in Bury town centre with Bury College and TravelSafe colleagues at Bury Interchange and Metrolink network. These patrols included addressing street drinking in Kay Gardens, in line with the council’s new public space protection order.

• Youth outreach workers joined these patrols, promoting community safety and supporting the use of a knife arch on the transport network.

Community Engagement

• Community safety officers hosted a Hate Crime Awareness session in conjunction with the BRAC (Bolton, Bury and Rochdale African Community) network, delivered with GMP.

• A community engagement session was held at Radcliffe Market, providing advice in relation to women’s and girls’ safety and domestic abuse. Council teams were joined by Six Town Housing, Healthwatch and Calico. GMP’s new neighbourhood inspector for Radcliffe was introduced to local community, including engagement with Radcliffe Street Pastors and Radcliffe Litter Pickers.

• Advice was also available in the Mill Gate centre and The Rock in relation to anti-social behaviour, alongside engagement with partners from Early Break and Achieve (drug and alcohol services) and Talk Listen Change (domestic abuse behaviour change programme).

• Building on work with the Manchester United Foundation, a community football match took place between ‘Street Reds’ participants and local community safety colleagues, promoting the value of sport as an alternative to criminality.