22 hours Ago
'It was like a war zone back then,' Angela revealed to the Mail. 'You couldn't even look at someone the wrong way or they'd put your windows through. It was horrendous.
' By the end of last year, Derker had become a by-word for everything wrong with Greater Manchester: gangs acting with impunity, ten-year-olds peddling drugs in exchange for nicotine vapes, families afraid to go about their lives. And, perhaps worst of all, the area had become notorious for the horrific practice of 'cuckooing,' in which criminals take over the homes of vulnerable people – such as the elderly or unwell – and use them for stashing and dealing drugs. Quite simply, something had to change.
Then earlier this year, salvation arrived in the form of Operation Vulcan: an elite multi-agency task force run by Greater Manchester Police to combat crime at source. Since Vulcan's inception in 2022, the operation has brought order to some of the most lawless parts of England's second city including the notorious 'counterfeit capital' of Europe, Cheetham Hill, as well as Piccadilly Gardens and now Derker. 'In a month, Operation Vulcan has turned things around massively,' said Angela, who was born and bred in Derker.
'You can walk down the street at night now. People already feel safer and more confident.' Earlier this month, the Mail met the mastermind behind Operation Vulcan: Chief Constable Stephen Watson, whose anti-woke, no-nonsense approach to policing has revolutionised Greater Manchester Police (GMP) since he took over in May 2021.
Strong arm of the law: Stephen Watson's anti-woke approach has revolutionised policing GMP was placed under special measures in 2020 the police watchdog found that the force had likely failed to record more than 80,000 crimes in a year This week Watson hit the headlines when he told Times Radio that police officers should stop wasting their time investigating 'guff' and tell people reporting 'fluff and nonsense' on social media to 'grow up'. It's par for..
. Fred Kelly.
