Closure orders granted for properties terrorising Freehold neighbourhood in Rochdale

We are working with partners to ensure our communities feel safe in the places they call home.

After speaking with residents, we identified several properties that were linked to anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in the Freehold neighbourhood.

Today, we secured closure orders for two properties. The order will last for 3 months.

Inspector Meena Yasin from GMP Rochdale said: “We have spoken to residents who have been unable to sleep at night, who are scared to carry out everyday activities within their own homes as a result of anti-social behaviour and the criminal activity of a small number of individuals exploiting the neighbourhood. Securing these closure orders is a really important step in creating positive change in the area, and we have been working closely with local residents and RBH to proactively tackle issues linked to these properties.  

“We will always take action and work with our partner agencies to ensure those who engage in anti-social or nuisance behaviour are dealt with robustly and I would like to thank everyone who has opened their door and welcomed us into their houses, taken the time to speak to us, and contributed to our intelligence picture which has led to these results.

“There is palpable community spirit in this area, created by residents who have lived here for decades. We are working with them to rid the area of criminality.”

Hayley Stockham, Director of Neighbourhoods at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), said: “We’re really proud to be working in Freehold with Inspector Yasin and her team, as well as with the Council and other partners. We know from talking to our customers that we are already starting to see a real difference in the neighbourhood. As part of this work, we’re investing around £5m in improvements to the blocks, including new security measures for the stairwells. We’ve had some great feedback from the community who have helped us to shape these plans.

“We take anti-social behaviour and criminality seriously, and we will continue to work with GMP to make safe communities that people are proud to call home.”