It is time they worked together for the community!

All these organisations could combine to help people live, work and shop in safety!

After the recent horrific attack on a pensioner in Haughton Green, robberies from local shops in the area, the report of attempted car thefts around Forrest Rd/Dixon Rd and Two Trees Lane, and the continued vandalism of public property (smashed up bus shelters and frequently damaged trees); surely it is about time that the Police, Tameside Council and the local Housing Associations actually got together to deter and hopefully prevent further acts of criminality.

Both Tameside Council and the Police say that they are "working together" in the interests of the community, but bold statements and sound-bites alone will not inspire much confidence with the public. The Police might also say they have not got the resources needed to maintain a continuous presence in the community, while the Labour Council will, no doubt, continue to go on about government cuts?

However, to protect their property, Irwell Valley Housing Association have recently been placing security guards in the foyers of Castleton, Fitzgerald and Southey Courts in Haughton Green.

In the 1990's, I worked for a Security Company hired by Salford Housing (aka Salford Council) that provided fourteen guards based on and patrolling all the residential tower blocks and the surrounding estate in the Pendleton area.

So why not hire a professional Security Company to regularly patrol areas in Tameside - the costs in Denton South could be shared between Tameside Council, the Housing Associations and local businesses (ie Tesco and the Co-op) - not just to protect their property, but working with the Police and the PCSO's as a further deterrent to crime generally? 

Alternatively, they could all combine to bring back the Tameside Patrollers or to create mobile Anti-Vandal Patrols and this could also be done, not just in Denton South, but throughout other areas of Tameside too!

We all know that Tameside Council, the Housing Associations and local businesses can get together when it suits them.

But they should not just be co-operating for "Tameside in bloom" competitions and providing lovely flower beds, nor just to build bandstands and to make the area look nice for visitors - and neither should it just be about working together on high profile publicity events like "Christmas Markets". 

It is time that they started working together to ensure a safe environment for all members of the local community!

Carl Simmons

Denton South Independent

Friday 31st January 2014