Entire borough could be out of bounds to stop car-meet chaos
CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL EVENTS INCLUDING RAVES
meet that brought chaos to the
A WHOLE borough could be hit with a banning order as police try to prevent a repeat of a ‘car meet’ event that brought misery to residents.
The implementation of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) across Tameside is being considered by Greater Manchester Police in the aftermath of a controversial event in Denton earlier this month.
The order could allow police to prevent certain people from entering the area.
Thousands of people from Manchester and beyond attended an illegal car meet at JDK Autoworx garage, at Tameside Business Park on Sunday, July 19.
The event, dubbed ‘DMO shutdown’ saw the streets of Denton commandeered by car enthusiasts, who were filmed performing dangerous stunts and driving at speed. Roads, including the M67, were blocked amid chaotic scenes.
Greater Manchester Police received at least 79 calls from horrified residents as they watched cars performing wheelies and burnouts on the streets.
Other areas of Tameside have already been under close surveillance from police in recent weeks, following intelligence about a number of illegal raves.
More than 4,000 people attended a ‘quarantine rave’ at Daisy Nook Country Park last month, where one man died following a suspected drug overdose. Another illegal rave was prevented by officers in Tameside, which had been due to take place on July 18.
In a letter to Denton MP Andrew Gwynne, GMP said they are ‘looking at’ a PSPO covering the whole of Tameside in light of recent events.
The banning order would give police the powers to fine, arrest or remove people from the area if officers suspect they are there to attend an illegal event.
Supt Jane Higham, of GMP’s Tameside District, said: “We are currently looking at a Public Space Protection Order for the whole of Tameside to prevent and enforce the compliance in the future around events of this type. Preventative work is key and once an event like this is up and running, getting them stopped is extremely difficult.”
Supt Higham said the force had no prior intelligence about the car meet on July 19, despite the event having been advertised on social media 24 hours prior.
She said the scale of the event ‘escalated quickly,’ with 200 vehicles arriving within the first 46 minutes of the meet. A man has since been interviewed by police in connection with the event. Mr Gwynne said he welcomed the news that GMP were considering the imposition of a PSPO.
He said: “Any power that helps the police and local authorities to prevent the shutdown of a community like Denton and the sheer chaos and disregard for the law we saw last week has to be welcomed,” he said.
The exact details of what the PSPO would include have not yet been confirmed. Stockport already has a similar banning order in place.
Mr Gwynne believes the order would give police the power to prevent people entering the borough if they fear they are travelling to an illegal event.
He said: “I think residents will just be happy that things are happening as a result of their complaints.”
GMP said a man has been interviewed by officers in connection with the ‘illegal car cruising event.’
The force said a 25-year-old man voluntarily attended an interview with officers at a police station in Hyde.