The Greater Manchester estate where outsiders have been banned

Police have shut down an entire estate plagued by drug dealing and anti-social behaviour. The closure order has been issued across 19 blocks of flats on the Freehold estate in Rochdale.

The measure, which prohibits access to the flats to anyone other than residents, is intended to stop criminals entering the estate. Police say it will prevent people from congregating in open spaces, including "stairwells, landings, bridges and near bin chutes".

It is in force from today (Monday) and will last for three months. Police patrols have been stepped up in order to enforce the order and anyone who breaches it could be arrested, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has warned.

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The force launched an operation to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the Freehold estate in December of last year. It came after residents raised complaints about drug dealing and facing "intimidation" outside their homes.

In a statement, GMP said: "This new closure order will not negatively impact the day-to-day activities of residents, who will still be able to go about their daily activities with friends, families, and visitors. It just means that police will be able to more effectively remove criminals who are loitering in the stairwells or public spaces, committing crime or anti-social behaviour."

Inspector Meena Yasin, who leads Operation Affect, added: “This is the first Open Space Closure Order Zone secured by Greater Manchester Police and is a revolutionary way of using existing legislation to protect our communities in the place they call home.

"The order allows us to target the stairwells and open spaces in a way that will support cohesion. It will help hundreds of residents, and help our partner agencies in the ‘hold’ and ‘build’ phases.

“This new order should dramatically reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the Freehold area because if we identify people who are entering the neighbourhood without permission or to commit crime, we can arrest and remove them, creating a safer environment for our residents.

“I hope this demonstrates to the community just how committed we are to their safety. We hear their concerns, and we will use all powers and policies available to achieve our common goal of keeping Freehold a safe and welcoming neighbourhood.

“As well as pursuing criminals and removing nuisance people from the estate, we are working closely with the local children and their families to understand what they want to see from police, but also create trusted relationships with them so that we can better support the communities that we serve, all of which is complimented by working with our partner agencies to support people in diversionary activities and helping those in need."

The Freehold estate became the focus of national attention following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. Widespread issues of damp and mould on the estate, damaging the health of vulnerable young children, were uncovered by the Manchester Evening News in 2022.

Yet tenants also revealed concerns about drug dealing and said crime and anti-social behaviour had left them fearful for themselves and their children.

One man said he had asked for a new home because he felt unsafe. Another tenant, who was worried for his children, described being 'harassed by those who not only smoke but also sell drugs around this area'.

During the summer of 2022, the M.E.N. saw at least two properties which appeared to be used as drug dens - with individuals entering for short periods of time before quickly leaving.

The issues have seemingly remained. When the M.E.N. visited the estate back in September, one man said he was often "woke up by people outside doing drugs at 3am".

He added: "A lot of people put masks on, there are gangs moving around at night. Some of the pathways are quite narrow - if you're a woman walking past them, these are groups of lads wearing masks, smoking weed, drinking, you are not going to feel very safe.

"There are people that just spend their days hanging around, drinking and doing drugs. Police are here a lot - basically all the time. There are always police cars here."

Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police said the estate was the latest target for its 'clear, hold, build' initiative'. It's the same approach that the force used on 'Counterfeit Street' to tackle the illicit trade around Bury New Road and Strangeways. The force said it would 'ruthlessly pursue gang members and criminals to clear the area'.

GMP said it would then 'hold the location' to prevent criminals from returning to the space, before working with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) and Rochdale Council to 'build a prosperous community' at Freehold. Drugs, cash and weapons have all been seized from the estate during multiple raids.

A total of 40 arrests have also been made while a number of properties have already been issued with closure orders. Meanwhile, RBH have issued injunctions, termination of tenancies, and mandatory re-possessions.

Hayley Stockham, RBH Director of Neighbourhood Services, said: “We continue to be fully committed to improving our communities, and a crucial part of this is having zero tolerance for crime and anti-social behaviour. We're pleased to be able to work closely with our partners, including Greater Manchester Police, to tackle organised crime and make our communities safer.

“We know that there is crime and criminal behaviour taking place in the stairwells and communal areas at Freehold, and these new powers will help to tackle this criminal activity and help us to meet our goal of making sure Freehold is a safe neighbourhood that our customers are proud to call home.”