Officers in Middleton seize thousands worth of drugs and seize bikes in ongoing ASB crackdown

Officers in Middleton are continuing to tackle anti-social behaviour and drugs supply in the area, producing an array of recent positive results.

In work aimed at tackling criminality in the Middleton area, officers have seized more than £60,000 worth of Class A and Class B drugs in the last few weeks and months.

While drugs have been seized, the seizure of weapons used by those involved in the supply of illicit products have increased too, with bladed weapons and an imitation firearm among recent discoveries.

In a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour, officers have stepped up patrols in Middleton Gardens and around local parks and businesses. This has seen numerous arrests and charges for a variety of offences, including drugs supply, weapons possession, and theft.

A particular anti-social issue raised has been the use of off-road bikes. The bikes have been used to drive illegally, putting others at risk on the roads, as well as providing a noise nuisance, ruining beauty spots, and being involved in drugs supply.

In response, officers have successfully located and seized a variety of the bikes, through hotspot patrolling, proactive policing, and gathering intelligence in the community. This month, seven off-road bikes have been seized alone. Further specialist operations tackling off-road bikes have also recently launched in Rochdale and the wider area – you can read more here:  A new operation has been launched targeting anti-social behaviour on motorbikes, e-bikes and quadbikes | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)

Sergeant James Donnelly, from GMP’s Rochdale Neighbourhood Team, said: “We are committed to tackling all manner of criminality in our community and will always target those who seek to disrupt the lives of others, whether that’s through drug dealing near people’s homes or causing mindless criminal damage.

“We have made numerous arrests in recent weeks and will continue to do so where this is necessary and proportionate. Where the offenders are young people, we work with partner agencies to work out why they may be offending: by putting the appropriate measures in place, we can both punish and prevent them from committing any further crimes.

“We urge anyone with any information to please get in touch with us, as all information, big or small, greatly increases our intelligence picture of who is doing what and when. This can aid us in pushing for charges and making sure criminals are punished and off the streets.

“Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also talk to an officer directly – they are always welcome to hearing more and are ready to provide advice and guidance.”