Anti-Social Behaviour Discussed at Oldham’s Centre Of Wellbeing, Training And Culture

Oldham, like many towns and cities across the UK, is not immune to anti-social behaviour (ASB) and as such - communities, voluntary organisations and government agencies including local authorities and police came together to tackle the problem.

This morning, (6 August), an event was held at the Centre of Wellbeing, Training and Culture to bring together many of those organisations and members of Oldham’s communities to hear speakers, including Oldham’s Mayor Pam Byrne, and to contribute to the discussion on what exactly ASB is and how to challenge it.

Mohammed Sarwar, CWTC’s Chief Executive, spoke about why they had organised the event saying, “The idea of today is to create awareness of what is meant by anti-social behaviour, how to report it, and what services and support is available to assure people they are not on their own.”

Opening the meeting, Mr Sarwar asked the audience what they thought was meant by ASB and what they thought could be done to challenge it. The response was varied, highlighting issues such as loud music being played in public by young people, groups of young people congregating in public, fireworks and reckless riding of electric bicycles.

Jane Glaysher-White from Action Together described how difficult it was for individuals to confront or challenge ASB on their own and talked of how people could be discouraged from venturing out of their homes in the evening or nighttime because they felt intimidated. She offered solutions including simply walking with others to provide strength in numbers.

She said, “Action Together’s work is to help community action throughout the borough of Oldham and by attending the meeting I can let people know that if they wanted to take the next step in dealing with problems in their area, they could come and talk with me.”

Of course, one of the agencies directly involved in combatting ASB is the police who attended the meeting to inform people about what they were doing and how they can help people experiencing behaviours impacting on their quality of life. PCs Lilly and Molly from GMP spoke of increasing incidences of ASB through the riding of electric scooters and bicycles in public places and the way the police were actively clamping down on riders.

They also made the point that sometimes ASB from neighbours is not always understood by the people concerned as being detrimental to their neighbourhood and that sometimes a quiet word from the police after a complaint can result in positive change.

Speaking to the meeting, Oldham’s Mayor Councillor Pam Byrne implored people affected by ASB in their area to make sure they contacted their local councillors through email, telephone or face to face at surgeries.

The clear point being made by speakers and members of the audience was that people do not have to face anti-social behaviour alone and together; difference can be made.

The CWTC supports diverse communities through their Supporting Communities Link Project. To find out more about the work they do which includes reducing social inequality and celebrating Oldham’s cultural heritage and diversity, email admin@cw-tc.co.uk, telephone on 07541 407451 or search www.cw-tc.co.uk.