Staly Vegas? No way!

SATURDAY night out . . . David Rolands (left) and Clive Holt talking with Uppermill police officers S/Sgt Kris Curbley (left) and PC James Shillcock

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COULD Uppermill be turning into the next Staly Vegas with an increase of weekend revellers? "No chance!" was the response from revellers who ventured out.

Recently the Oldham Chronicle reported on concerns from a police report which highlighted that with the influx of visitors at weekends there was a correlation between assaults and public order instances.

To find out more we went to Uppermill on a Saturday evening to speak with revellers and licensees.

"We are a local community, policed by the local community," Phil Harwood, manager of Muse, said in reference to how the area will cope with an increase of visitors.

He was talking about how the pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and shops all work together with the police to keep the area safe.

Uppermill runs a "Zero Zone" initiative to combat drug use which sees the bars work with police to stamp it out and discourage organised crime groups coming to the area to sell their "gear".

Many of the pubs run a over-25 policy and now hire door staff, who are soon to be equipped with Taser cameras, which will allow the police to see what the door staff see.

Door staff are linked to the police by radio and the response time from police to a reported incident, it is "instant", PC Lee Cullen said.

And if a person is barred from one establishment in the area, they receive a borough-wide ban from all establishments, running from Saddleworth all the way to Failsworth.

PC Cullen, was keen to reiterate that the report was not to show a fear that Uppermill could descending into a "wild west" town, but was the police ensuring they were prepared for "the worst" and would be able to cope confidently should it become an eventuality. The message is not to stay away but come, enjoy yourself, and behave appropriately.

Friendly

The approach of the police is not aggressive either, it is friendly, and there is a real sense of community together with the police.

As we were given a guided tour of the area by PC Cullen he was stopped and greeted countless times by residents.

At one point a young man walked along the street passed us while swigging from a glass bottle, PC Cullen's response was to politely ask him to finish his drink and explained why he couldn't allow him to have a glass bottle on the street. The man happily obliged and handed his bottle to a member of door staff who then disposed of it.

So what do the revellers think about the night time of Uppermill? In terms of it becoming like Staly Vegas, they didn't have any such fears.

Jayne Aldred, who has lived in the centre of Uppermill for 12 years, said: "There is a happy atmosphere here. Everybody knows Lee and he does a great job.

"You can just walk down for one beer and end up staying all night. Everybody knows each other, it is safe, I can walk home on my own.

"My mum will come down with her friends from work and have a nice meal and a few cocktails."

Matthew Hetherington, who was on his first date with Jade Mather, said: "What I can say is it is becoming more of an affluent area and it is going to attract different people.

"I've never noticed any trouble and I have been coming here at least 10 years."

When asked if it could become like Staly Vegas he replied with an emphatic "No chance".

Oliver Everton said: "I think it is a very desirable place to live. The increase in people is good for the local economy, but maybe it's the profile of some of the clientele, it can get a little rough. It's not the locals, it is the out-of-towners.

"We've never had any trouble though."

His friend Matt Hall added: "I think it's probably that people are not used to incidents here, what they call a disturbance here, it's not a stabbing or a shooting."

Clive Holt, from Huddersfield, said: "We're out here tonight and we're having a great time with friends from Saddleworth."

* ONE of Oldham's top police officers, Supt Danny Inglis, joined patrols in Uppermill on Friday night. The Divisional Commander met licensees and was "very impressed" with how the policing team works in partnership with bar and pub managers. There were no incidents to report from the evening.