Calls to get tough on Wigan town's crooks and troublemakers

Atherton’s Stuart Gerrard said he has formally requested that section 104 of the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Act is now triggered.

This would mean that the police, council and councillors of both wards now have to come up with a pro-active plan to reduce problems with vandalism and noise. But the call has already been knocked back by the local authority.

The calls follows a spate of trouble in the town which have seen war memorials damaged and parks wrecked meaning play equipment for toddlers has had to be removed.

Large numbers of youths have been congregating on the main park and causing a nuisance, while other children have been gathering and causing trouble on the town’s streets.

However, Coun Gerrard has managed to secure a dispersal order for AthertonPark last Friday to tackle the problem of youths congregating there.

The order means police can ask groups to leave the area if they are doing anything wrong or if it is believed they may cause a nuisance.

Coun Gerrard, who has written to Wigan Council and Greater Manchester Police, said he has also been told of people climbing on to the shop roofs in the town centre and then running across them. While unruly tenants in the town have been reported to have been “making life a misery” for people with even armed police turning up to incidents.

He said mess and damage caused by the various behaviour has amounted to “thousands of pounds” and that the situation has become “unbearable” for some residents, many of whom are elderly.

Some of the once quietest parts of Atherton have now become hot spots for trouble, according to Coun Gerrard.

He said: “After months of discussions with the police and council to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality, and frankly being pacified by them, I have decided to trigger section 104 of the ASB act.

“This means that now the police, council, and councillors of both wards now have to come up with a pro-active plan to reduce anti-social behaviour and criminality.

Wigan Council said a section 104 or 105 can only be used to trigger an individual case review by those directly involved.

They said that because the issues relate within a paricular area, the process would “not be appropriate”.

The council said they will be setting up meetings to discuss the issues further and to see what else can be done. Ward members will be informed when it is appropriate to do so.