Charlestown, Trinity, Blackfriars, Duchy and Whit Lane SNAP blog

Want to know what's been happening during Charlestown, Trinity, Blackfriars, Duchy and Whit Lane SNAP? Our officers out and about have been reporting back what they have been up to. You can also let us know what you think, just complete the comment request form at the bottom of the web page and we will post your comments.

Friday 17 July
Police activity
Sergeant Andy Kane, Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team
A warrant was executed in Blackfriars, and inside the property there was a cannabis farm with 50 cannabis plants which will now be destroyed. Estimated figures suggest that the street value of the drugs in the premises was approximately £20,000.

As well as this a wanted man was arrested near the university and a police surgery was held at St Sebastian’s Community Centre, which was attended by Hazel Blears. The surgeries are held to that members of the public can come and speak to officers in easily accessible locations. This may be a concern about issues in their neighbourhood. Officers can also use this as an opportunity to feedback and explain what they are doing to combat crime and antisocial behaviour in the area.

Officers are there to work for you so if you do have any concerns about crime or information to help them fight crime it is important that you speak to them.

Friday 17 July
Comedy and curry night
Alison Pearce, Community Development Officer
We organised the comedy and curry night after receiving feedback from mothers that it would be beneficial to get the chance to meet up with other women in the area. The night, with stand-up comedy act Mrs Barbara Nice of Phoenix Nights fame, was a huge success. Barbara Nice (real name Janice Connolly) has been touring the UK with hit show ‘Hiya and Higher’ and we were so lucky to have her with us for the evening.

As well as the stand-up comedy, there was live entertainment (a big thank you to Simon Fox and Joseph Faherty for sharing their talents) and delicious food. We held the event at St Sebastian’s Community Centre, which was a great venue with really friendly staff. The atmosphere was brilliant and everyone seemed to have a great time, with residents saying how good it was to get a chance to meet up with neighbours and to meet new people.

We hope to be able to set up a regular forum for the women of East Salford and the event, attended by women of all ages and from a mix of cultures and backgrounds, was a great foundation for this. Also, Janice Connolly expressed interest in starting up comedy workshops, an exciting possibility we’re looking into. As one local resident said, ‘the old saying that laughter is the best medicine is true’.

Thursday 16 July
Police activity
Sergeant Andy Kane, Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team
Two drugs warrants were executed in this morning, which resulted in my officers in arresting a male on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis and possession of a controlled drug. Information from the community is vital so that we can continue to make arrests and put people before the courts. Drugs will not be tolerated and offenders will be targeted and dealt with.

A male was arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle. It is important that people make sure they make it as difficult as possible for any potential criminals. Remove all valuables from your vehicle when leaving it unattended and remember to lock it at all times and make sure the windows and sunroof are not open. Thieves are opportunistic so remove that opportunity and prevent a crime.

Wednesday 15 July
Police activity
Sergeant Andy Kane, Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team
It is day three of the SNAP week and a lot of hard work has already gone into the project to make it a success. But we know we are only half way through and there is a lot more work to do.

A drugs warrant was carried out at an address in the Trinity area. This resulted in a man being arrested and charged with possession of controlled drugs.

Officers in high visibility uniform continue to patrol the ward. During the patrol, a man was issued with a fixed penalty notices for Public Order Act offences. Remember, officers are not only there to act as a deterrent to potential criminal activity but are also there to serve you.

A Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting took place at the Cathedral School of St Peter and St John. These meetings are similar to the police surgeries we regularly hold across the city but also give residents the opportunity to decide what priorities police can focus on during the month. For example, if there is a particular issue with anti-social behaviour on your road, you can come to the PACT meeting and let the board know.

Wednesday 15 July
Escape to Safety
Ameen Hadi, East Salford Neighbourhood Management team
More classes were taught today this time by Anna from Refugee Action, supported by refugee volunteers.

Carol, a teacher at Albion High, said, “I can not thank you enough for bringing this project to the school. It has been an incredible experience for the students to have gone through the exhibition and then had such brilliant classroom sessions with knowledgeable people and refugees themselves. Some of the young people were so moved by the experience that they were in tears. I hope we can work together in the future.”

Wednesday 15 July
Over 60s event
Julie Pass, Broughton Resource Centre Manager
The event on Wednesday was an over 60's afternoon with agencies such as Affordable Warmth and Benefits Advice attending to give advice and support.

The Neighbourhood Management team and the PCT were also on hand to let residents know about activities and events they could access.

Attendees said that the information they received was really useful and helpful, we even manage to recruit one resident to join the choir. He felt that he should audition for this and gave a wonderful rendition of The Millers Song and yes he got through to the next round!

Broughton Community Resource Centre was established ten years ago to support and encourage community involvement. The centre has a wide range of learning courses attended by residents who are predominately over 55 years old. In partnership with the Community Development team we have developed a range of social activities including a successful community choir.

We are currently developing an older person's forum for East Salford with the launch of the first edition of 'In Touch' a newsletter specifically for older people within the area.

Tuesday 14 July
Police activity
Sergeant Andy Kane, Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team
A further drugs warrant was carried out in the Irwell Riverside area. This resulted in a woman being arrested on suspicion of being in possession of controlled drugs. This further enforces the city's stance that drugs will not be tolerated and we are determined to bring offenders to justice.

Officers in high visibility uniform continue to patrol the ward. During the patrol, two people were issued fixed penalty notices for Public Order Act offences. Feel free to stop one of the team and let them know of issues that affect you and your family. You can have an influence on how you want to see the neigbourhood policed.

Vehicles were stopped whilst using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device on Cromwell Road. This device is used to help us check whether motorists have insurance, driving licence, etc. During the day, one vehicle was seized, one driver was found to have no insurance and a number of motorists must bring all the evidence to show that they have a licence, insurance and all other necessary documentation.

Tuesday 14 July
Escape to Safety
Ameen Hadi, East Salford Neighbourhood Management team
Joe Howson, Escape to Safety project coordinator, took three classes during the school day. He was supported by six refugee volunteers who talked about their experiences.

Noori, an Iraqi refugee living in Weaste, spoke about his experience to a class.

He said, “I am happy to volunteer for this project as it is so important that we challenge the lies that are told about us in the media. Raising awareness is very important so that we can all live together in peace.”

Monday 13 July
Police activity
Sergeant Andy Kane, Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team
I have been eager for the SNAP week to come to Irwell Riverside due to the successes of the previous activitity across other parts of the city. We are dedicated to serving residents to the best of our ability and I am confident the week of action will help improve the lives of those living in the neighbourhood.

Today, we executed two drug warrants on the Whit Lane Estate. That led to three arrests in relation to drug offences. We informed residents in the neighbourhood about the warrants after they took place, to reassure them that we will not tolerate drugs in the community.

High visibility patrols will be walking around the area for the week so please feel free to approach them and ask questions about the SNAP or policing in your neighbourhood. Today's has already proved a worthwhile exercise after officers found two people in possession of cannabis. Both were issued warnings.

The mobile police station was operational in the Duchy Road area from 8.00am where we spoke to numerous people regarding their concerns and issues. I'm encouraged by the number of residents who we are speaking to us but I would urge even more to come and see us. This facility is an ideal way to tell us how you want your neighbourhood policed and for members of the public to prioritise the issues that need tackling first in their area If you can't attend the mobile police station then there are numerous opportunities via police surgeries that take place across the city. For more information on where and what time they take place, log onto gmp.police.uk/neighbourhoodpolicing. The mobile station will be located at Seaford Road on Tuesday, Peru Street on Wednesday, London street on Thursday and Concorde Place, Whit Lane on Friday. They will be open between 8.00am and 8.00pm.

Monday 13 July
Creative park session
Billy Masters, Ranger
I work for the Ranger team and look after three parks in Salford - Albert Park, Mandley Park and Bolton Road Playing Fields. I help to keep the parks safe, clean, green and positive places for people to enjoy. I do this by patrolling the parks and making sure everything is well maintained and by providing fun and exciting events and activities for everybody to enjoy. I also provide the Ranger team’s education programme which teaches young people about their local environment.

Today my colleague Steve Higham and I were at Bolton Road Playing Fields for SNAP week. We ran a session creating recycled junk sculpture with paper cups, cardboard tubes, some household junk and the infamous sticky back plastic! We also made animal art and crafty creatures.

The session was very successful and lots of young people got involved - there were plastic pooches and cardboard cats everywhere!

I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to doing more activities in the area. If you would like to come along to one of my activities, I will be at Bolton Road Playing Fields again on 11, 18 and 25 August. I will also be at Broughton Beach when it's back in Albert Park on 5 August for National Play Day - so dust off your buckets and spades and come along!

Monday 13 July
Escape to Safety
Ameen Hadi, East Salford Neighbourhood Management team
Escape to Safety is an interactive multimedia installation, built into a 12.5m box-trailer that enables you to experience something of what it is like to be a refugee seeking asylum in Britain. It is designed for young people and adults from the age of ten upwards. It provides the opportunity to think about issues such as:

• What is the welcome we want to give to refugees?
• What is your image of asylum seekers in Britain?
• Where does this image come from?

Each participant walks through a labyrinth of eight 'stations' depicting the different stages a refugee experiences before seeking asylum in Britain. They are accompanied by refugee voices from Rwanda, Afghanistan and Palestine interacting with border immigration officials and the media.

The exhibition arrived first thing Monday morning with a group of trainee police officers, who are the first people to go through the project. The project coordinator, Joe Howson, also supplemented this with a teaching session. The feedback from the officers was extremely positive.

Howard Lawrenson, GMP Community Engagement Officer said, “Thank you for arranging for our trainee officers to go through this experience, which was both informative and challenging.”

Due to the feedback from the officers, the divisional command is interested in bringing the project to Sedgley Park for all officers to experience it.

During the rest of the day a mixture of teachers and pupils attended the exhibition. The exhibition was positively received and even the more difficult student groups found the experience thought provoking challenging some of their misconceptions about refugees.

This page was last updated on 21 October 2009