SGT S, TOUR GUIDES AND UPDATES

Hello all, I hope you are well?

Today I have been out on targeted foot patrol around our wonderful town, engaging with my community and dealing with issues that affect us all. 

I started at the amazing St Mary’s Parish Church on Churchgate, which dates back to the 14th Century, records show that the church was a site of worship as early as 1190. 

I had opportunity during this visit to engage with a couple of young males who were acting anti-socially at the rear of the church, they were advised about their future conduct and moved on.

You simply cannot visit Stockport without paying a trip to the iconic Market Hall. THis site can be traced back in history to the Middle Ages and the late Anglo-Saxon period. Records from 1260 AD show that this site has always been a market area where people could purchase & sell goods. I spoke to several stall owners whilst here and they shared with me their concerns around theft and ASB in the area. 

Checking on the security of our retail and hospitality partners whilst they are closed is key to what your police officers do in our town centre. Here at The Good Rebel which opened its doors to the public in 2019, all was well, and no issues were identified in the area.

Stockport interchange was naturally busy this morning, with its 18 bus stands allowing for 164 departures an hour, Stockport has never been so easy to get to for socialising, working or just general sightseeing. Happy to report that there were no issues this morning as people went about their daily business

Onto St Petersgate and the beautiful gardens area, this site dates to the late 18th Century and has had various upgrades over the years. a wonderful spot for catching the sun, relaxing with friends’ family or work colleagues. The area boasts a number of shops and the award winning Coffee Block cafe, well worth a visit for a hot or cold drink and a piece of cake! There were no issues to report on today’s patrol. 

My travels then took me to Exchange Square and Stockport train station, this site was part of the Grand Central complex which has mostly been knocked down and redeveloped into a usable open space that commuters can use to wait for their trains. The area boasts a national hotel, local businesses and retail partners. 

Once here I was given information from a member of the community that a female had been smoking cannabis near to the entrance of the station. A female matching the description given was found and detained then searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act, the search was positive in that property not being hers was recovered however she had no prohibited drugs on her. 

She was taken to a local charity who support our homeless community to get a hot meal and help with housing, she will be dealt with at a later date for the items seized.

Onto the Chestergate Public house and The Plaza were on my list of locations to visit today. The Plaza is a grade 2 listed building and has had different use since it opened in 1932, currently a theatre, it is a great place to visit and see a show. The Chestergate pub is one of our many brilliant taverns that quenches the first of the good people of Stockport and beyond, it has been open to customers since, well 11:00 usually! I spoke to several youths at this location during today’s visit who were hanging around. No issues to report and they moved on.

Back into the Town centre (Merseyway) which was built in 1965, opening its doors to the public in 1970. One of the country’s first shopping precincts, this site is built on top of the river Mersey some 1,300 ft below to be exact.

The area is awash with big and small retailers and has many eateries and coffee shops, we really are spoilt having such a fantastic shopping centre. 

Footfall was busy today as you would expect, I engaged with many people today, mainly directing lost souls in the right direction which I am always happy to do. No other issues to report at this location. 

Patrol around the ASDA car park on Warren Street is always part of our targeted patrol plans given its use, the site is always busy with people parking up to do the weekly or daily shop. 

I spoke to a couple of children who were loitering about, I was advised that they “were not up to much” as is the norm. They moved on after speaking to me and no further action was needed. 

And finally, over to the Peel Centre. The Peel site has had various use of the years and was in the early days the location for the town's power station and gas works. It is just outside the town centre blueprint and was developed in stages from the late 1980’s into what it is today,  

Very busy today, lots of people enjoying the sun and using their spare time to get a little retail therapy. No issues to report at this site.

That concludes Sgt S tours for today, lots of positive engagement with my community around five and a half miles covered in total, more targeted foot patrol planned for the week and beyond, have a great day everyone.