Operation Vulcan: Police Launch Major Crackdown on Derker’s ‘Wild West’ Crime Wave

An 11-year-old girl stood nervously before a room packed with police officers at Mayfield Primary School and asked the question that haunted every parent in Derker: “What do I do if someone is bringing drugs to school?”

Her trembling inquiry captured the daily reality for families in this Oldham neighbourhood, where open-air drug dealing, gun violence and organised crime have left residents feeling permanently “on edge.” For years, locals watched young men flash huge blades while speeding past in flashy sports cars, witnessed drug deals in alleyways and endured break-ins while feeling their community had been “forgotten” by authorities.

That changed four weeks ago when Greater Manchester Police launched Operation Vulcan, the same specialist mission that previously transformed Cheetham Hill and Piccadilly Gardens. The sustained campaign of police raids, observations, stop-and-searches and crime prevention initiatives, delivered alongside Oldham Council and community groups, has already yielded dramatic results: 25 arrests, 21 vehicles seized including e-bikes, £50,000 worth of Class A and B drugs recovered and £11,000 of illegally earned cash confiscated.

But the operation’s success hinges on winning back community trust after years of under-reported crime. At the community launch event, Detective Superintendent Jen Kelly told residents: “There is a criminal undercurrent where some people seem to control the streets and what is happening in and around Derker. There are individuals intent on committing crimes, plying their trade and causing disorder and upset for people who live there.”

The fear runs so deep that many residents wouldn’t share their names with reporters, terrified of repercussions from “untouchable crime families.” One father explained he no longer lets his daughters play unsupervised on the green opposite their home: “You just don’t know what they’ll find there if they go on their own.”

Louise, a local mother, described how a fleeing suspect “almost hopped straight into our barbecue” while jumping backyard fences. While her youngest daughter giggled at the excitement, Louise remained sombre: “It makes you feel unsafe, as a family. I really hope this makes a difference.”

The visible signs of crime dominate daily life. A 61-year-old resident, who has lived in Derker for six years, described witnessing two boys on e-bikes in a residential alley: “They hopped back onto the bike, and one went to pull his top down - and you could see there was a knife stuck in the back of his trackies,” she said, holding her hands twelve inches apart to indicate the blade size. “It’s annoying though, because when you try to tell people, they don’t seem to want to know. Hopefully that’s changing now.”

Police believe the e-bikes, worth around £5,000 each, represent recruitment tools for organised crime groups targeting children. The concern is that smaller-scale offences form part of a broader picture involving county lines operations and crime families who feel immune to prosecution.

Lorraine Kenny, head of community safety at Oldham Council, acknowledged the trust-building challenge: “For me it’s about actually building that confidence in communities to work with us. We know there are individuals living here that think they control the narrative. But actually 99.9 percent of residents are decent, law-abiding citizens having their lives ruined by individuals.”

St James councillor Angela Cosgrove, who lives in Derker, added: “It’s reassurance that something will happen when we call. For far too long we haven’t had that. It’s been a nightmare living here.”

While two women stormed out mid-meeting, heckling officers over past “lack of action,” most residents expressed cautious optimism. Jason Howard, a 51-year-old postman and grandfather of two, summed up the community’s hope: “I’m looking forward to seeing the change and getting it back to how it used to be, when you could walk the streets and feel safe.”

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