Drug gangs ‘hoard acid in turf war’
POLICE REVEAL FEARS AS THEY BATTLE CITY CENTRE CRIME
POLICE fear acid is being stockpiled by drugs gangs as part of an ongoing turf war in Manchester city centre.
Officers found dozens of empty bottles of bleach underneath a canal bridge earlier this month.
It is likely to have been decanted into smaller bottles to use as an easily-concealed but deadly weapon.
The discovery is being linked to an incident on May 1, in which a homeless man drank from a Fruit Shoot bottle left on a wall and accidentally consumed a noxious substance.
He is said to have suffered ‘significant’ internal burn injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
In another incident, a man had ammonia thrown in his face in a city centre attack. He refused to assist with a prosecution.
And on May 18, a stash of weapons including a claw hammer, screwdriver and a ‘Rambo’ knife was found hidden in the flower beds in Piccadilly Gardens.
In response, Greater Manchester Police has launched a blitz on the city centre – with around 40 officers sent to make arrests, gather intelligence and reassure the public and businesses.
The show of force will go on for three days and is designed to combat everything from low level, antisocial behaviour to the more serious violent crime, which has left some areas a ‘no-go zone.’
The M.E.N. joined city centre inspector Jon Middleton as he led the first ‘day of action’ yesterday.
“There’s a perception that there are some dangerous places [in the city centre],” he told his team during a briefing. “They’re not but they certainly have their problems. You’re here to make this a hostile area for criminals.”
Even before his team moved into Piccadilly Gardens, Insp Middleton encountered four rough sleepers on one small stretch of Mosely Street.
A 38-year-old man was asleep on the steps of the The Bank pub.
Struggling to stay awake, he said he had taken Spice, but couldn’t remember when.
The man was offered help to access services, but as he wasn’t wanted for any offences he was ultimately let go. In Piccadilly Gardens, officers made use of their power to issue a ‘dispersal order.’
The orders allow them to ban someone suspected of a public order offence, such as being drunk and disorderly, from the ‘enforcement area’ for up to 48 hours.
A man swigging from a bottle of rum refused to leave a bench and was eventually escorted out.
Insp Middleton said it is a helpful tool for curbing anti-social behaviour, rather than making arrests which can be time-consuming and tie up his officers for hours.
Another drunk man became aggressive and officers were eventually left with no option but to arrest him for a public order offence.
He could be heard thumping the walls of the police van as he was driven away.
In the Northern Quarter, a Spice user was found sleeping in the doorway where he said he has been living for the past four months.
He is well-known to local officers, who say he has refused all offers of assistance and prefers living on the street to accommodation.
The man, who we have chosen not to name, told the M.E.N: “Yeah, I take Spice but I don’t do any dealing.
“I’m not going to any hostels or nothing – I don’t want to share any toilets or showers.
“The public don’t bother me and I don’t bother the public.”
The man refused to move on and was eventually made the subject of a dispersal order.
Over in Chinatown, the situation is far worse.
The crackdown on Piccadilly Gardens in the past year appears to have pushed some of the city centre’s problems into the square on the corners of Nicholas Street and Faulkner Street.
Metal fencing has recently been erected to stop rough sleepers getting into the car park.
The area – once one of Manchester’s tourist hotspots – is covered in rubbish and smells strongly of urine.
Insp Middleton called the city centre’s street sweeping team, but said they have been too scared to go there recently.
One fed-up business owner said dozens of people are regularly asleep on benches in the square, putting off visitors and leaving litter.
Jimmy Low, 37, recently took over running Wing Fat Supermarket from his parents.
“I come in at 6am and they are already there,” he told the M.E.N.
“They are stealing beer from the shop or grabbing fruit from outside.
“Customers are too afraid to come here.
“I’ve got a security guard and I should be putting that money back into the business.”
While our M.E.N. reporter was talk-
You’re here to make this a hostile area for criminals City Centre Inspector Jon Middleton in police briefing to officers
ing to Mr Low, another member of the local Chinese community came over to offer further complaints.
Speaking animatedly in Chinese, she demonstrated how she had found drugs hidden in bushes behind one of the benches.
“My family’s had this establishment for 32 years,” said Mr Low.
“But in the past 12 months, it’s been terrible.
“I think I’ve lost around 10 to 25 per cent of my customers. I’m worried for the future of Chinatown.”
Mr Low later shared a number of shocking videos and pictures he has taken in the past two months of people outside his shop with the M.E.N. Many are seen slumped over in a zombie-like state, showing the tell-tale signs of having taken Spice. Others are drinking alcohol and fighting. It is understood the China Town community has met regularly with the council and police in the past year to discuss how to combat the problem. Measures could include bringing in private security funded by local businesses, and new gates on the pagodas which lead into the car park.