Three men have been charged with drug-related offences as part of a crackdown into crime on notorious estate.
Greater Manchester Police officers launched operation Affect, focused on the Freehold estate in Rochdale. Earlier this week, a number of arrests were made as part of the crackdown in the town.
Three males suspects – aged 60, 20 and 50 – have now been charged. Anthony Shaw, 60, of Hartlebury, Freehold, Rochdale, has been charged with concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place, reports Manchester Evening News.
Chukwudi Ejim, 20, of Cover Drive, Rochdale, has been charged too, with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and two counts of possession of criminal property.
Arfan Khan, 50, Drake Street, Rochdale, has also been charged as being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. All three suspects have been remanded into custody.
They were due to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court today, Saturday, September 28.
A GMP spokesperson said: “These charges are a result of an ongoing investigation, where arrests were made earlier this week, and a proactive operation called Affect by our Rochdale North Neighbourhood officers focused on the Freehold estate.”
Trouble-hit estate
The Freehold estate became the focus of national media attention following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. Widespread issues concerning damp and mould on the estate, damaging the health of vulnerable young children, were uncovered by a report by the Manchester Evening News.
But, it has also been plagued by crime and anti-social behaviour over the past few years – leading to GMP launching Operation Affect.
Dozens of arrests have been made under Op Affect and a number of properties have also been issued with closure orders. Meanwhile, landlord RBH consulted with residents in the area earlier this year on a £5 million plan to improve the estate – which will include upgrades to stairwells and walkways.
It’s a major project for officials in Rochdale – but with long-standing issues on the estate, there is a lot of work to be done. Nadhia Khan, RBH Executive Director of Customer and Community, said: “We have zero tolerance of crime and anti-social behaviour in all our neighbourhoods, and we are working closely with GMP and Rochdale Borough Council to tackle criminal activity in Freehold.
“We are pleased to hear from our customers that they have noticed improvements, including seeing more officers from RBH and GMP on the ground, and we remain committed to tackling this and know there is more to do. Our aim is to make Freehold a safe place that people are proud to call home, and we will keep working hard with our local community and partners until we get there.”
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