Section 60 authority in place following a night of disorder in Oldham
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has authorised a Section 60 order in Oldham following a night of violent incidents involving weapons, including a car chase, a large disturbance, and an attack on a man. The order, effective for 24 hours, grants police extended stop-and-search powers in specified areas. Three arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing.
Greater Manchester Police imposed emergency stop-and-search powers across a swathe of Oldham today after a night of violence that saw masked men wielding machetes, running street battles and a taxi smashed to pieces.
The Section 60 order, signed at 2:59 a.m. and running for 24 hours, covers a loop of streets from Greenacres Road to Snipe Clough Nature Reserve and back via High Street and Lees Road. Officers can now search anyone within the zone without needing the normal grounds for suspicion.
The crackdown follows three linked incidents that erupted within four hours. At 6:05 p.m. Thursday, two SUVs raced along Lees Street until one slammed into a tree; pursuers armed with machetes then tried to drag the driver from the wreckage. Four hours later, more than 100 people spilled onto the streets during a mass disturbance involving at least ten men carrying weapons. Minutes after that, a taxi was found wrecked on Roundthorn Road and a man in his 20s was treated for minor injuries.
Two men in their 20s and a third in his 50s have been arrested on suspicion of affray and remain in custody. Officers have also seized vehicles believed used in the attacks and are trawling CCTV for other suspects.
Superintendent Cara Charlesworth said the order is “proportionate and necessary” to remove dangerous weapons from the streets. Extra patrols will continue through the weekend and residents are urged to approach officers with any information.
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