WITNESSING another drug deal brazenly take place in spitting distance of her doorstep, a nervous mum hurriedly shuts her curtains.
Terrified of “reprisals” if she were to speak out, she and many other residents on the estate in the north west town choose instead to turn a blind eye.
The Sun witnessed police arresting a teen suspected of carrying a knifeSTEVE ALLEN
Keiran Morgan and Zaki Shazad were jailed for a total of 34 years for a gangland shooting
Adam Vaughan/MENCrime scene investigators analysing the scene at shop where a gang-related shooting took place in 2021[/caption]
Jack Hill/The TimesDeputy PM Angela Rayner grew up in the area[/caption]
Meanwhile locals in neighbouring communities admit they fear walking the streets at night and complain of intimidating gangs of youths, drug-dealing, anti-social behaviour, stabbings, shootings and the menace of organised crime groups – known as OCGs.
Stockport has traditionally seen much lower levels of gang activity than Manchester, and figures show it has the second lowest crime rate in Greater Manchester as a whole.
When comparing crime rates across England and Wales, it is ranked 130th out of 313 areas for the “most dangerous” place to live, with a rate of 80.7 crimes per 1,000 people.
But the stats don’t tell the full story, for while some of its affluent areas do indeed have low levels, it’s more deprived districts are now crime hotspots – with a 2024 council report revealing it to be the eighth most polarised borough in England.
Two years ago there were a series of gangland hits which a judge said had “all the hallmarks” of a dispute between serious organised criminals.
Gunman Kieran Morgan, 30, used a sawn-off double shotgun to target two homes and a takeaway, where customers and staff were present.
Morgan had acted on the orders of Zaki Shazad, 22, who, in turn, was said to be operating on behalf of an unidentified more senior criminal.
Judge Jonathan Seely, at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court, described the shootings as an “increasingly terrifying phenomenon for the citizens of our country” when he jailed Morgan for 18 years and Shazad for 16 years in June.
‘Bad families on every street’
One of Stockport’s so-called crime hotspots is the ’Brinny’ estate in Brinnington, which has become notorious for its gangs of youths causing mayhem on e-bikes and scooters, while drugs and anti-social behaviour are everyday concerns.
Some residents are too terrified to leave their homes at night and won’t contact police due to fears they’ll be labelled a “grass”.
STEVE ALLENShuttered down shops near a 24-hour off licence, which causes locals extra concern[/caption]
STEVE ALLENThe estate is famous for being where Angela Rayner and Phil Foden grew up[/caption]
STEVE ALLENKieran Morgan used a sawn off shotgun to fire into the burger bar where diners were eating[/caption]
GMPCCTV footage caught Morgan on camera firing at a house[/caption]
One woman, who didn’t wish to be named, told The Sun “there are bad families on every street”, but the threat of “reprisals” meant a lot of crimes go unreported.
A mother collecting her child from a nearby school added: “You see people who are on drugs or who’ve been drinking.
“I certainly wouldn’t walk around here at night. There are lots of kids on e-bikes and scooters and they’re really dangerous because you can’t hear them coming.
“There’s also anti-social behaviour with kids hanging around, although it’s not quite as bad as it used to be.
“I do think a bigger police presence would be a good thing.”
‘Police here every day’
Meanwhile residents in Shaw Heath, as well as those on the neighbouring Bridgehall estate, where Manchester City star Phil Foden and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner went to school, say crime is a constant worry.
On the day The Sun visited Bridgehall, police were seen detaining a teenage girl who was suspected of carrying a knife.
There’s a lot of people around here on drink and drugs and they swear and say to you, ‘What you looking at?’ Sometimes I’m scared to look at people because of how they react
Karen Robinson
A mother-of-three, who didn’t wish to be named, said she often witnessed drug deals taking place outside her house.
“Cars will pull up and people will get in so they can pretend to be friends,” she said.
“But it’s obvious what’s going on. I want to move because it’s so bad. But it’s hard to find a bigger home.”
She added that police are “here every day” due to persistent anti-social behaviour but “never do anything”.
Her neighbour Steven Wood, 39, said he “worries” about the older members of his family because of “intimidating” gangs of drug-taking youths hanging around on the streets or in alleyways.
“It used to be lovely round here but it’s not now,” he told The Sun. “You’re constantly on edge waiting for something to happen.”
He added that his aunty had made a “long list” of reports to police but “nothing seems to get done”.
Bridgehall resident Karen Robinson, 48, whose daughter was in the same school class as Foden, said it can be “uncomfortable” living on the estate.
“You look at people the wrong way and they can be a bit funny, a bit nasty,” she said.
“There’s a lot of people around here on drink and drugs and they swear and say to you, ‘What you looking at?’
“Sometimes I’m scared to look at people because of how they react.
STEVE ALLENKaren Robinson, 48, says kids swear at her regularly[/caption]
Takeaway owner Mohammed Islam was run over and killed in an attempted car-jackingMEN Media
MENConnor Read, 19, admitted conspiracy to steal in connection with the killing of a takeaway owner Mohammed Islam[/caption]
“I’ve been on my own for nine years after my daughter left home, and I feel it’s a place where I go in, shut my door and keep myself to myself.
“I only really talk to my neighbour and the kids are really cheeky and swear at you and call you names.
“There’s no respect at all with the younger generation.”
She said there had been a recent machete attack on the estate and other violent incidents, including a taxi driver being stabbed, and she wanted to “get out”.
‘Gangs & guns’
Nurse Amy Fletcher, 28, said she knew “dodgy” activities took place on the estate and police regularly carried out raids.
“Probably the worst thing is people stealing,” she said. “I saw some kids up on a roof the other day.
“And I thought to myself, ‘Please get down from there, that’s not sensible’.”
And another Bridgehall resident, who only gave his name as David, said: “There are loads of kids around here who cause trouble.
“We’ve had problems for years with the e-bikes, scooters and anti-social behaviour.
“They just don’t care and taunt the police when they come round.”
In January 2021 a carjacking led to a restaurant owner and father-of-three being run over and killed.
It used to be lovely round here but it’s not now. You’re constantly on edge waiting for something to happen
Steven Wood
Mohammed Islam, 53, who owned the Marple Spice restaurant, died as he tried to stop a teenage gang stealing his silver Mercedes – a 25th wedding anniversary gift from his children – in Romiley, Stockport.
He’d tried to cling on to the car before he was sent “flying” to the ground, with the car then running over his head as the 14-year-old behind the wheel, from Brinnington, “floored” it.
Five teenagers – including Connor Read, 19 – were later sentenced for their role in the shocking crime.
In June that year “gang rivalry” spilled out into the streets of Cheadle Hulme when a 15-year-old gunman fired shots at a convenience store in broad daylight before pointing the gun at a delivery driver.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Jacob Richards had become “firmly entrenched in a culture of gangs and guns” and had “bragged” about his crimes in raps.
Richards also carried out a separate arson attack with fellow gunman Remico Embrack, 20, and was convicted for a catalogue of violent incidents in 2024.
County lines crackdown
As far back as 2020, a Youth Violence Strategy report had warned of “increasing levels of serious youth violence, criminal exploitation and working with children who identify themselves as having a gang affiliation”.
Among its recommendations was early intervention and knife crime awareness sessions in schools, the identification of ‘at risk’ children and active policing in crime hot-spots.
STEVE ALLENA dilapidated and boarded-up home on Bridgehall Estate[/caption]
STEVE ALLENAmy Fletcher, 28, says there’s a lot of ‘dodgy’ things going on in the area[/caption]
STEVE ALLENThe estate had been blighted by rising crime[/caption]
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and partners are supporting the Home Office’s Safer Streets Summer Initiative, aimed at reducing crime across town centres and communities.
The force has been involved in other initiatives and operations to tackle serious and organised crime.
Programme Challenger sees them working with other agencies to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, including drug lines, the buying and use of firearms and money laundering.
And Operation Venture, launched in 2023, sees officers working as part of a multi-agency team, which includes the Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), and using a variety of tactics to tackle violence, particularly involving young people and knife crime.
Last year it led to three men from Brinnington being charged as part of a crackdown on a county lines drug-dealing operation.
Three separate incidents also led to five arrests and the recovery of a large amount of cash and drugs and the “dismantling” of an OCG in the Shaw Heath area.
On the one-year anniversary of Challenger, the force claimed to have made a “sizeable impact” on reducing serious violence on the streets, with 452 arrests, 130 weapons recovered, and £250,0000 seized.
Superintendent David Henthorne, from Greater Manchester Police’s Stockport district, said: “Across Stockport on a daily basis, officers from a variety of teams undertake work to tackle criminality, lock-up those responsible, and help address the roots to these issues.
I only really talk to my neighbour and the kids are really cheeky and swear at you and call you names
Karen Robinson
“This includes our neighbourhood teams who immerse themselves in their communities, knowing who causes problems and when, and can appropriately patrol and monitor known hotspots to crack down on ASB, drug-dealing, and other offences causing misery in people’s lives.”
He wanted to encourage anyone in the community who was having issues to contact local officers or do so anonymously via Crimestoppers.
A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “Stockport is a great place to live and work. We’ve been regularly recognised among the best places to live by national publications like the Sunday Times.
“This data from 2017 doesn’t reflect the Stockport of today: a borough being transformed through major investment and partnership working.
“We know feeling safe is fundamental to people’s quality of life, which is why tackling crime and anti-social behaviour remains a priority for us and our partners.
“Through our One Stockport, One Future approach, working closely with partners and Greater Manchester Police, we’re tackling the root causes of crime and inequality — building safer, stronger communities for everyone. We encourage all residents to report concerns and access support where needed.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said: “Greater Manchester has a strong record of working in partnership to tackle serious and organised crime across the city-region, exemplified through Programme Challenger.
“There is no evidence to suggest the threat of serious organised crime is getting worse in Stockport.
“Wherever any localised issues arise we work in partnership with GMP and others through Programme Challenger to tackle this with local community organisations.
“There is also exemplary safeguarding work taking place in the borough through the Aspire Complex Safeguarding Team to protect children and young people from harm.”
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