Pressing the GMP Neighbourhood Team to tackle crime on Royton Precinct

One of the points of concern raised by owners of restaurants, bars, and independent & chain stores that operate on Royton Precinct at the meeting we held with the leaseholder London & Cambridge Partnerships (LCP) in May was crime and antisocial behaviour on the precinct during working hours and in the night.

One important way we can create stability for the precinct, ensure it’s long-term future, and provide confidence for local people who want to shop & spend time on there is to make sure it is a safe place by having retail crime, anti-social behaviour, & burglaries properly tackled and prevented.

My constituency team has followed up specific concerns raised by tenants of the precinct but we know more action is needed more widely.

The Royton neighbourhood team have made clear to us that they are taking this problem on the precinct seriously. They have confirmed to us in response to wider concerns we raised with them that the neighbourhood team continues to respond promptly to reports of crime and anti-social behaviour, through active engagement in addressing incidents as they have arisen and working closely in partnership with relevant local agencies.

They have said they are taking a firm stance against persistent shoplifting by targeting repeat offenders in the area. Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) are being pursued where appropriate to deter further offences and protect local businesses.

This reassurance is matched by the government’s desire to take back our streets, precincts and town centres from crime by legislating for a standalone offence for violence against shopworkers, creating tougher respect orders for anti-social behaviour, and introducing the neighbourhood policing guarantee – delivering on a local priority of ours at the general election to create a safe place in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton.

The team has also confirmed that Neighbourhood Beat Officers and PCSOs are regularly patrolling the precinct, to provide reassurance, deter criminal activity, and engage with the community to gather intelligence and support.

It is great to hear the challenges associated with the night-time economy, particularly during weekends, are being taken seriously. The neighbourhood team have confirmed that they are liaising with other departments and have already increased patrols during weekend evenings to manage & reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour.

𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌, 𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔.

Local people are encouraged to report any further concerns to my team at jim.mamchon.uk@parliament.uk and the neighbourhood policing team in Royton.

Let’s make Royton Precinct even better – into an even more buzzing, vibrant & safe place to be.