A vulnerable man is led out of a dilapidated drug den on a quiet street in Rochdale. The man was a victim of ‘cuckooing’ a practice whereby criminal gangs take over a vulnerable person’s home in order to sell or store drugs.
Despite his protests, council and police officers surround him and assure him he will be sent to alternate accommodation away from the organised crime groups that have been exploiting him.
“The drugs are being dealt with here and it’s being used as a crack den basically," explains Gill Lucas, a housing lead for Rochdale Council who has been working closely with housing providers and GMP to tackle cuckooing in the area.
