'At night-time it's just wild. All the crackheads come out'

It's the estate where an unthinkable tragedy rocked the nation and led to a much-needed law change. But there's another problem that has gripped Freehold in recent years.

The Rochdale estate became the focus of national attention following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak. Widespread issues of damp and mould on the estate, damaging the health of vulnerable young children, were uncovered by the Manchester Evening News.

An inquest heard that Awaab's parents pleaded for help to resolve the issue before his death, following prolonged exposure to mould. It led to a successful campaign to protect lives in future and sweeping changes at the housing association which runs the estate.

READ MORE: The children with nowhere to call home

Yet Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) now finds itself battling another problem which is leaving some of its tenants fearful for themselves and their children. An operation has been launched to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour which has plagued the estate.

Working with Greater Manchester Police, the project - known as Operation Affect - has seen drug dens closed, weapons seized and 36 suspects arrested in recent months. But the issues Op Affect are trying to resolve have been rumbling on for a while.

The M.E.N. has spoken to residents at Freehold on several occasions since 2022. While the focus back then was on damp, mould and disrepair, the conversation regularly turned to issues of crime and anti-social behaviour, as stories of violence and complaints of anti-social behaviour came up time and again.

'It's not safe no more'

"This estate gets to you," one woman told the M.E.N. on her doorstep. Aged 25 at the time, she spoke of damp issues she had been grappling with, which led to workers installing a new extractor fan.

But it was another issue that was at the front of her mind. She claimed that, weeks earlier, a friend who also lived on the estate had been attacked by a group of teenagers.

She said her pal had tried to help one of the group who had become unwell, before others lashed out. "I feel dead vulnerable now," she said. "I'm thinking of getting CCTV."

Now 28, the M.E.N. spoke to her again this week. She spoke of being fearful for her safety on the estate - and insisted she is not alone.

"It's not safe no more on Freehold, it's not safe for anyone," she said. "I go over to my friends, but that's about it. I stay indoors. I don't really get out on Freehold."

The tenant - whose identity the M.E.N. is protecting, along with other residents - says she regularly sees the police on Freehold. She says that she feels that while anti-social behaviour is 'getting sorted bit by bit', more serious crime is rife.

She claims a woman was 'found in her house black and blue' recently, before adding: "It's getting worse, and worse, and worse." While her friend who had been attacked in 2022 has since left the estate, she spoke of another mate on Freehold - a 25-year-old woman - who feels unable to walk around on her own.

"It's not safe. It's not safe for a child," she said. "My mate wants to move and she's got a small child... it's getting to the point where she can't leave the house when her partner isn't there.

"At night-time, it's just wild. I hear banging and everything. All the dealers hang around stairways and that - it's just ridiculous. All the crackheads come out."

The tenant first spoke to the M.E.N. soon after the first story about Awaab was published in August 2022. During frequent visits over the course of two months prior to that, residents regularly spoke of concerns about drug dealing.

One said he had asked for a new home because he felt unsafe, with 'lots of drug dealing' happening 'all the time'. Another tenant, who was worried for his children, described being 'harassed by those who not only smoke but also sell drugs around this area'.

"I do not want my children to grow up under these conditions and be influenced by these bad examples," he wrote in a letter used to try and secure a move away from Freehold. During summer 2022, the M.E.N. saw at least two properties which appeared to be used as drug dens - with individuals entering for short periods of time before quickly leaving.

Outside one of the properties, a man worriedly asked an M.E.N. photographer why he was at the estate with a camera, before going inside. At the other property, a man who parked up in a flashy car escorted someone into the flat.

'There was a man following me... I ended up running'

At the time, RBH said it was working with police on an investigation into drug use, with CCTV footage provided to GMP. The issues were long-standing prior to the M.E.N.'s investigation on Freehold in 2022, though.

One woman came forward to share her experience of previously living on the estate as temporary accommodation, having fled domestic violence. Like others on the estate, she raised concerns about drug dealing, and suggested that vulnerable victims of cuckooing were living as neighbours to families and elderly residents on the estate.

She recalled a particularly terrifying moment of being followed home after returning from work in Manchester at 9pm. "I was walking through the estate and half the street lights were out," she said.

"There was a man following me, trying to get my attention. I ended up running, trying to get into my flat. As soon as I got in he was right behind me. I slammed the door, locked it and rang my brother to come over."

The M.E.N. returned to Freehold last autumn, one year on from Awaab's story hitting national headlines. Tenants spoke of the efforts RBH workers had been making to try and tackle the scourge of damp and mould across the estate, as the landlord's new leadership prioritised improvement works.

But problems of safety on the estate apparently remained. One man told us he had been living on the estate for around six months at that time, but after being regularly disturbed in the middle of the night, he was already keen to find somewhere else to live.

"Sometimes when we are sleeping we can hear someone yanking on the door handle at night," he said. "I wake up in the middle of the night, come down and check it’s locked."

At the time, he spoke of people shouting outside at 3am, while others lurk in corners of the estate 'just waiting with their hood up'. He said that on one occasion, cannabis had been pushed under his front door.

The man spoke to the M.E.N. again this week. Still on Freehold, he is still eager to leave.

"It's just constant," he said. "[There are] people breaking glass, I get woke up by people outside doing drugs at 3am on a weekday. There are needles everywhere. I don't think it's just us [who are affected]. I think it's everywhere.

"A lot of people put masks on, there are gangs moving around at night. Some of the pathways are quite narrow - if you're a woman walking past them, these are groups of lads wearing masks, smoking weed, drinking, you are not going to feel very safe.

"There are people that just spend their days hanging around, drinking and doing drugs. Police are here a lot - basically all the time. There are always police cars here."

The resident recalled hearing windows being put through on the estate three times in about 18 months, while regularly hearing arguments and commotion. He insists he tries to stay out of the way of trouble, but the estate can be unsafe.

"I don't get involved with people here," he said. "They can do what they want. But it's just annoying when you are trying to sleep, you have work the next day. It's never that far away - the flats next to you, the flats in front of you.

"There's a guy next to me, he constantly gets into fights. I don't get involved. I think it's a waste of time. But for everybody else, I think it's unsafe. I don't go out at night.... it's a very unsafe area. I just know how to avoid trouble. But other people might not be so lucky."

Another man, who spoke to the M.E.N. last autumn, said tenants on the estate 'all have the same problem' with crime. He said: "At night-time, people are coming here, drug [dealers] - I’ve complained and nothing is done. I’ve called the police.

"Young people are coming here - they are young girls, young boys, 14 to 17. It’s a junction here, they are taking a small bag, they are cycling off."

He recalled one occasion when a lit cigarette was pushed through his letterbox. “I’m scared now," he said. "So much crime, but nobody listens, no one does anything.”

'We have zero tolerance'

The tenant told the M.E.N. this week that his concerns remain, although there had been some improvement. Since his complaint that 'nobody listens', GMP announced, earlier this year, that the Freehold estate was its latest target for the 'clear, hold, build' initiative.

It's the same approach that the force used on 'Counterfeit Street' to tackle the illicit trade around Bury New Road and Strangeways. The force said it would 'ruthlessly pursue gang members and criminals to clear the area'.

GMP said it would then 'hold the location' to prevent criminals from returning to the space, before working with RBH and Rochdale Council to 'build a prosperous community' at Freehold. Earlier this year, drugs, cash and weapons have all been seized from the estate during multiple raids.

Dozens of arrests have been made under Op Affect and a number of properties have been issued with closure orders. Meanwhile, RBH consulted with residents earlier this year on a £5 million plan to improve the estate - which will include upgrades to stairwells and walkways.

It's a major project for officials in Rochdale - but with long-standing issues on the estate, there is a lot of work to be done. Nadhia Khan, RBH Executive Director of Customer and Community, said: "We have zero tolerance of crime and anti-social behaviour in all our neighbourhoods, and we are working closely with GMP and Rochdale Borough Council to tackle criminal activity in Freehold.

“We are pleased to hear from our customers that they have noticed improvements, including seeing more officers from RBH and GMP on the ground, and we remain committed to tackling this and know there is more to do. For example, as part of our investment programme, we are acting directly on customer feedback and will soon be introducing new security measures on the stairwells.

“Our aim is to make Freehold a safe place that people are proud to call home, and we will keep working hard with our local community and partners until we get there.” Inspector Meena Yasin, from GMP’s Rochdale district, added: “Since launching our multi-agency operation in Freehold using the Clear, Hold, Build methodology, we have worked closely with residents to build confidence and trust, and to gather intelligence.

"As a result, we have been able to use a variety of criminal, civil, and regulatory enforcement powers to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, in the community, with positive results already well evidenced. So far, we have made 36 arrests for drugs related offences, we have closed three drug dens, and secured criminal behaviour orders, as well as supporting an injunction.

"In addition, we have met in person, with hundreds of local people, to better understand their experiences to enable us to tackle the issues that they face appropriately. Our officers will remain working closely with the community as we prepare to launch innovative initiatives around crime and ASB.”