Call for major safety review after ‘horrific’ crime spree
POLICE and transport chiefs are being urged to carry out an immediate safety review of the Metrolink network after a string of horrific incidents on the Rochdale and Oldham line.
Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon is calling for a major overhaul of the way the tram system is policed amid serious concerns about safety in and around certain stops.
The problem is particularly severe on the Oldham and Rochdale route, which accounts for between a quarter and a third of all incidents on the network.
Mr McMahon pointed out that many places on the Oldham tram line that are magnets for trouble have also seen public services close in the last few years, including youth centres serving Hollinwood, Failsworth, south Chadderton, Werneth and Coldhurst, as well as police stations or posts in Failworth, Limeside and Chadderton.
“The public see that. It is symbolic, and it adds to the sense that justice has left the town,” he said.
Westwood in Oldham has by far the highest number of reported crimes on the Metrolink system overall, according to figures seen by our sister paper the M.E.N.
Mr McMahon also warns the closure of police stations, courts and youth centres along Oldham’s route is adding to the sense that ‘justice has left the town’.
He was speaking after a series of serious crimes were committed on the line through Oldham, particularly in and around the Westwood, Hollinwood, Freehold and South Chadderton tram stops.
They include an attack on two 13-year-old boys at South Chadderton earlier this week that saw one victim stamped on and stabbed in the head with a large ‘afro’-style comb.
Mr McMahon also said drug dealers were increasingly arriving on mopeds to central Oldham and then handing their wares to children and teenagers, who were distributing them around the tram network.
This week an eight-yearold and a ten-year-old were among those dealt with through restorative justice after hurling bricks at a tram in Freehold in June.
The MP – who has been pushed on the issue for months – is now calling for a beefing-up of the system’s ‘Travelsafe’ security team to allow them to patrol beyond just platforms.
He also wants higherprofile policing in order to ‘rebuild public confidence’ in the network and efforts to deal with areas that act as anti-social behaviour ‘magnets’ due to their geography, such as the dark streets and bridge arches around Hollinwood.
Last week he held a meeting with the police, Transport for Greater Manchester, mayor Andy Burnham and deputy mayor Bev Hughes on the issue, as well as Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd and Liz McInnes, MP for Heywood and Middleton.
“The vast majority of people use the tram without any issues. However we must acknowledge that there is a real problem which crime and antisocial behaviour that needs addressing too,” he said, adding that Mr Burnham had taken a ‘firm stance’ on the problem.
“We agreed to pull together a plan and reconvene in September.
“In the meantime I’ve agreed to put my points in writing and I will use this to highlight the impact on constituents who have been the victim of an attack.”
However he said the