Historically, this period sees a large increase in certain types of anti social behaviour (ASB), trouble with youths, and criminal damage. The operation also aims to raise awareness of safety around fireworks and bonfires as well as educating local residents around fly tipping.
For 2008 the Operation will focus on 11 hotspots across the Wigan Borough where the worst problems occur.
The practitioner group from Wigan Council, Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue (GMFRS), Wigan & Leigh Housing, and Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust, who also worked on Operation Challenge, has already got to work on the plan for Operation Treacle. Here are just some of the actions we’re planning:
- ‘Silver control’ will be set up in the Council’s CCTV facility with anti social behaviour officers, Police Officers, and CCTV operators working together to identify perpetrators of asb and criminal damage and getting the information to Police and Council officers in the area for faster responses.
- Police Community Support Officers will be talking to retailers and handing out posters encouraging the restriction of sales of eggs and flour to youths.
- The Councils Environmental Crime team will work with GMFRS to remove flammable materials dumped at hotspot locations to prevent fires from being started. PCSO’s will also be relaying information back the council.
- The Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be visiting homes in the hotspot areas who have suffered problems in the past to reassure residents and to hand out the trick or treat cards.
- Trading Standards will be teaming up with GMP to catch traders selling alcohol to young people. They will also be out to catch traders selling fireworks to young people.
- The youth service will be organising activities in the hotspots to give young people an alternative to egging homes. The Sports Development team from WLCT will also be running 4 one day sports camps. For details of these and other activities available across the Borough visit the Linc website (external link).
- GMP will be patrolling the hotspot areas and times of the day when problems are most likely to occur.
Trick or treat?
We’re handing out our ‘trick or treat’ postcards for displaying at Halloween. The cards have ‘sorry’ on one side and ‘hello’ on the other to indicate whether you’re happy to receive trick or treater’s. They will be available in libraries and handed out to vulnerable people, such as the elderly by Adult Services.
A copy of the postcard can be down-loaded by clicking on the link below.
Thank you/sorry trick or treat postcard (.pdf, 130KB)
Be safe not sorry
We've refreshed our safety leaflet for young people. It features advice on staying safe at Halloween and Bonfire night and also general advice on how to prevent young people from becoming victims of crime.
The leaflets will be handed out to young people across the Borough from the 13th October. Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) will also be handing the leaflets out to young people and warning them not to commit criminal damage. They will also be providing them with details of any alternative activities in their areas.
Download the leaflet: Respect - be safe not sorry... but have fun (.pdf, 1.4MB)
Eggs and flour
For the third year running we will be liaising with shop keepers to restrict the sales of eggs anf flour to young people. Shop keepers will be given a poster to show that they are signed up to the initiaitve.
Download the poster: Restricted sales of flour and eggs (.pdf, 396KB)
iPod competition
We gave young people aged 11 to 16 the chance to win an iPod. All they had to do was answer the question on the bottom of the Respect - be safe not sorry... but have fun leaflet. The answer was also cunningly hidden somewhere on this website!
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