CCTV cameras have been installed in a Tameside park as part of ongoing partnership work which has helped to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Tameside Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have been working together to address community concerns relating to ASB, criminal damage and public order issues in Victoria Park, Denton.
Their joined up approach – which has included targeted patrols, outreach work to talk to and understand the groups of young people who are gathering and work with local schools and housing associations– has led to a 57% reduction in reported ASB incidents. There were also no crimes for public order, robbery or violence recorded during the reporting period of October to December 2024.
The work has led to the council’s community safety and anti social behaviour (ASB) teams and GMP’s neighbourhood policing teams recently winning the Place Based Problem Solving Award in GMP’s Problem Solving and Prevention Awards 2025.
Now the council has installed CCTV cameras inside the park to further build on this success and help prevent a resurgence of issues over the summer months. The footage is shared in real time with the police as part of ongoing efforts to keep residents and park users safe.
Tameside Council Executive Member for Towns, Transport and Connectivity Cllr Stephen Homer said: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact of our partnership working in tackling concerns in Victoria Park but we’re not sitting back, we want to proactively build on this work to further support the community and help prevent any further issues.
“The CCTV cameras within the park are a further strategy in our wider, ongoing approach to tackle the issue. Our approach has included council officers, the police, schools, housing associations and other agencies all working together to tackle this from all angles and I want to thank everyone involved for their effective input ,which has quite rightly been recognised by a GMP award.
“Victoria Park is a beautiful and well-loved community amenity and we will continue our dedicated approach to ensure people can safely enjoy it.”
GMP District Commander for Tameside Supt Chris Foster said: “The partnership working we have undertaken in order to improve the experience of the public wanting to use Victoria park has been a really good way to address local issues which affect our communities. The addition of CCTV cameras will not only help us with crime detection and prevention but will also allow us to monitor for vulnerable people who may be missing, and provide guardianship that will allow us to respond directly to any issues which may be arising.
“In delivering an outstanding neighbourhood policing offer, we must ensure that we continue to work together to maintain the improvements that have been made in the park and disseminate these beyond to other areas which our communities feel are causing them issues. We have seen a good reduction in ASB, burglary and other impactive offences and we will continue to work hard in the partnership arena to provide a coordinated response.”
