In the past five years, more than 1,000 alleygates have been erected at 300 sites across the borough – leading to a dramatic cut in burglaries.
What’s more, alleys that are secured make residents feel safer. Recent surveys show that before the erection of gates, 88 per cent of residents reported feeling worried by crime, compared with only 20 per cent after gates were installed.
“We used to have a big problem with teenagers hanging around our alleyway, but since the gates went up, the gang can’t get access, so they no longer congregate near us,” says David Lathom of D&K Motorcycles of Leigh, who approached the council on behalf of residents of Bold Street.
“The gates have given us a safe area for children to play and reduced litter and fouling from stray dogs.
“My small business has been broken into several times, but the alleygating scheme has given me greater peace of mind and also brought my insurance premiums down.”
Installing alleygates requires the council to follow complex legal procedures and can be time consuming.
The popularity of the scheme means areas that suffer from the highest rate of crime and anti-social behaviour get first priority.
Councillor Kevin Anderson, Wigan Council’s neighbourhoods champion, says: “Alleygating is a successful way of dealing with the problems that affect many communities.
“It has also allowed residents to reclaim their alleyways as community space and helped increase community pride.”
A guide to installing alleygates is available at: Alley Gating (external link)
Smoke ’em out!
It costs the country millions each year and has been linked with serious organised crime. We’re talking about the alarming trade in illegal cigarettes being sold from ordinary homes, which has taken hold in parts of our borough. It’s big business…. and big trouble.
Wigan Council’s Cllr Paul Prescott explains: “People may think that this is a neat way of getting cigarettes on the cheap and the only victim is the taxman but I urge them to think again.
“It can cause real damage to communities and most worryingly, we have had reports of these items being sold to children. They may be counterfeit so there’s no way to know what harmful chemicals have been put into them.”
The council, police and HM Revenue and Customs are working hard to break this fag trade. In a combined operation in Wigan recently, officers swooped on three houses and seized 40,000 cigarettes and a massive 12.5 kilos of tobacco.
But despite these successes, they need the help of another partner to help identify the bad guys and smoke ‘em out... you!
Anyone with information about cigarettes being sold from homes can contact Wigan Council’s Trading Standards team in complete confidence on 01942 827476.
