‘Every day there is drug dealing outside my shop’

Business owners say they see drug dealing and anti-social behaviour taking place openly outside their shops on the main street of Shaw, in Oldham, throughout the day.

The reports of attempted car and house burglary, fly-tipping and nuisance off-road biking come as residents of both Shaw and neighbouring village Crompton complain of a new wave of ‘low-level’ crime.

None of the shop owners the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to on Shaw's Market Street wanted to be named for fear of recriminations. Some have introduced buzzers and locks to try to protect their premises.

Despite concerns, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that reports of crime have actually reduced slightly since last year, but that they are using hotspot policing techniques to tackle the issue.

One shop owner said: “Drug dealing is going on here in broad daylight. You should come here between 3.30pm and 4pm any day of the week and you’ll see it clearly.

“It’s completely out of control. We hardly ever see the police here.”

One shop owner, who only recently took over her unit, said she had installed a door where customers have to buzz to request to enter.

“We quickly realised we were at risk of these people coming into the shop, so we had to act,” she said. “Now, no-one can come in here without us buzzing them in.”

Other complaints include off-road bikers wreaking havoc around the moors above Oldham, vandalism, petty thieves trying car and house doors, and random fly-tipping.

Now, councillors who represent the area – Coun Howard Sykes and Louie Hamblett – have asked for a meeting with police chiefs to discuss the issues.

Frustrated residents have taken to Facebook sites to express their anger, including in one community group, I Love Shaw.

One post reported newly-planted saplings being uprooted at the Oak Gables Partnership GP practice on Westway.

The trees had been gifted from NHS Forest, and had been planted ‘with love’ for doctors and staff who had passed away over the last few years.

A post from the practice on the I Love Shaw Facebook page said: “For some weeks now we have had trouble with children and teenagers on the car park zooming round on bikes and scooters in between cars, and back chatting.

“We reported them to police.” 

It said that two of the youths began uprooting saplings and smashing the protective covers.

In one response to the post, another contributor said: “If it’s not locked, fenced, protected etc, it’s at risk of theft or vandalism.”

Another said: “It was said a few weeks ago about the lack of police presence in and around Shaw. These brats will keep causing damage and taunting the public if nothing is done to stop them.”

A shop owner posted: “My business is across the road and every day there is drug dealing going on outside my shop in broad daylight, and young adults speeding like it’s a race track.

“The litter and the endless beers cans is just getting beyond a joke," she continued. She then went on to say a Covid memorial bench had been ‘defaced yet again’.

Meanwhile, Crompton Coun Hamblett and Liberal Democrat group leader Coun Sykes, who represents Shaw, have asked to meet with local GMP Neighbourhood Inspector, Stuart Berry.

“During the warm weather, we’ve had scrambler bikes with the riders with no helmets and no insurance on the moors,” said Coun Hamblett.
“Reports and images of groups of lads trying car door handles have been sent to the local police, but nothing seems to happen. 

“Residents are urged to go through the normal channels to report these things, but it’s like fire fighting – it’s a ‘whack-a-mole’ situation.
“The police will crack down on these things, and it dampens down, but after cops have moved on, it flares up again.”

Coun Sykes said one of the main problems was the lack of visibility of police in the area.

“The kids on the bikes are trying to get the police to chase them,” he said. “They see it as some kind of game. They’re pulling wheelies all over the place. 

“They’re pulling up fencing stumps and pushing over dry stone walls on the moors. This low-level stuff is really on the up.”

Responding to the complaints, Chief Insp Ian Partington of GMP’s Oldham district said there were 652 incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB), criminal damage, vehicle crime and residential burglary in Shaw and Crompton between January and May 2024.

The number has since reduced to 614 for the same period in 2025.

“This means there are 38 fewer crimes, compared to the same six months the previous year,” he said.

“But these aren’t just statistics to us; this means there are 38 fewer victims of crime, but we know that there is still more work to do in our local neighbourhoods to reduce the crime that matters to local people even further.

“Hotspot policing occurs daily by neighbourhood police officers who are familiar with the needs of the local area. These patrols not only act as a deterrent to those conducting ASB in the area, but officers also speak with and engage with those who have raised concerns.

“As a district, this week Oldham has seen the lowest burglary figures in the force, and over the last 12 months, reported burglary offences have decreased whilst arrests of offenders for burglary rose significantly by 9.6%, leading to a 10% solve rate for this type of offence.

“This is testament to the hard work from officers in the Neighbourhood Policing Team who are out day and night patrolling key hotspots, and our Neighbourhood Crime Team who thoroughly investigate offences and take strong cases to court.

“Officers have successfully secured prosecutions for vehicle crime across the district, resulting in numerous convictions and a number of Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) to target those who are blighting the local community, ensuring they are starved of the areas in which they operate and cause a persistent nuisance to people’s lives.

“As recently as Saturday (3rd May), local officers along with our specialist unit colleagues were out specifically targeting the use of anti-social behaviour which has been enabled by e-bikes, and these patrols and sustained action will continue.

“We had a significant amount of success during this operation, including a number of these bikes being seized and their riders being reported for Road Traffic Act offences such as no insurance, no licence, and other driving offences, several arrests for drugs offences, and multiple stop searches of suspicious individuals.

“Although we have teams of officers that are dedicated to reducing crime in your neighbourhood, we can’t do this alone, and we are continuing to urge the community to report any incidents or any suspicious behaviour to us, and as we have shown over the last couple of months, we will do all we can to apprehend those who feel as though they are above the law.”