A CRIME crackdown has cleaned up a Winsford estate and made it a much safer place for residents to live.
Police say they have been 'pleasantly surprised' by the results of their efforts to put a stop to the activities of two gangs of teenagers, who had spread mayhem through the Over Estate.
They believe one gang of youths was responsible for a string of crimes on the estate, from burglary to joyriding, drug dealing and intimidating residents with threats and unruly behaviour.
The second gang was blamed for stealing motorbikes and cars and racing them around the estate before abandoning them, often setting them alight.
Members of the police Community Action Team targeted the estate, enlisting the help of agencies involved in the Safer Communities Partnership including Vale Royal Borough Council and the local housing trusts.
Members of the gangs were hit by two Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), which restrict offenders from going to certain areas or behaving in a particular way, and six Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) - whereby culprits agree with police how they ought to behave in future. Three more have been threatened with the contracts.
John Roberts, Vale Royal's community safety officer, said: 'We have been trying to look at problems relating to the Over Estate. A gang was causing problems on that estate. As a result of action taken we have issued a number of ASBOs and ABCs against those individuals.
'We have been pleasantly surprised by the success. Since car crime and theft have been targeted there has been a considerable decrease.
'We have had some success, but we have not finished yet. The knack will be keeping it going.'
A spokesman for Over4All Residents Association admitted: 'I thought it was a waste of time, but I was gobsmacked at the results. It has quietened down an awful lot.'
