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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
It’s getting lighter and brighter all the time isn’t it. The spring bulbs are pushing through, snowdrops are already in bloom and, as you can seen from this picture by Sean Hansford, the crocuses are out.
Photographer Sean snapped this beautiful image at Boggart Hole Clough, in Blackley, earlier this week.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll be talking about plans for the Clean Air Zone and introducing you to a primary school teacher who has become one of the best Warhammer players in the world.
But first, we're going to take a deeper look at knife crime, how it is affecting the people of Greater Manchester and how it's being tackled. Let’s begin.
'I'm not saying I know the solution. I just wish people could see the devastation'
In the moments Andy Burnham stood up at a press conference to launch the latest scheme aimed at tackling knife crime in Greater Manchester, a teenage boy was sitting in the dock accused of murder. Court reporter Andrew Bardsley writes that King Sibanda’s case provides a tragic case study for the dangers of knife crime.
Sibanda, 17, was found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Abdikarim Abdalla Ahmed following a trial at Manchester Crown Court last year. The rapper - who had previously taken part in a 'knife crime prevention programme' and sung about 'extreme knife violence' - also admitted possessing a knife. He must serve at least 15 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.
Judge Patrick Field KC said the case demonstrates ‘the tragic and utterly needless waste that results from knife crime’. "One young man is dead, and leaves behind him a grieving mother and a grieving family. There is no sentence that I can pass that will repair that loss," he said.
Mr Ahmed - known to his friends as Abdi - died following a single stab wound which was delivered in Bury town centre in the middle of the afternoon. Sibanda - who has a history of offences involving blades - was just 16 at the time.
The case against his killer was being laid out before a jury as the mayor addressed assembled reporters in another part of Manchester city centre. Mr Burnham is urging people to alert the authorities or ask for support if they fear a loved one is carrying a blade.
Since the beginning of the year, the Manchester Evening News has reported on 17 serious stabbing incidents. They include a 14-year-old girl stabbed with a broken bottle in a school, a 62-year knifed in a supermarket car park and a 19-year-old stabbed in the chest in a park.
Figures released by Greater Manchester Police show that, from November to January, 898 knife crimes were reported in our region. That includes three homicides, 12 rapes and 287 robberies where a blade was used.
Reporter Damon Wilkinson has been speaking to Tommy McDonagh, who runs Collyhurst and Moston Amateur Boxing Club. He describes knife crime as a 'pandemic' - though the mayor has previously denied there is a ‘knife epidemic’ in the region.
But Tommy says things are ‘getting worse’. "You have kids that have jobs, kids that are in college carrying knives. And what's really concerning for me is you hear about the murders and the serious stuff, but there's loads more stabbings and robberies that you don't hear about, that don't even get reported,” he says.
Tommy also says social media amplifies and publicises fights and arguments that might once have fizzled out. He says: "Now if something kicks off, someone gets a name, searches them up on SnapChat or whatever, finds out where they hang about or pretty much where they live and before you know there's direct contact.”
That’s something a pastoral care specialist at a Manchester school previously highlighted, terming the phenomena ‘Chinese whispers but electronically’. And Matthew Norford - a reformed gangster who once led the Rusholme Mandem and now mentors youngsters - previously explained that young people feel they can ‘lose face’ on social media. “These kids get hundreds of followers. By the time you’ve had the argument hundreds of people have seen it,” he said.
Matthew told reporter Lyell Tweed he once thought he was ‘invincible’ but life changed irrevocably after losing his brother. "I have been there at every stop the same as these kids getting involved with knives. I tell them it's going to go wrong because there's no other way it can end, it's about being real with them," he says.
Jade Akoum has been a strong campaigning voice on knife crime ever since her brother, Yousef Makki was stabbed to death aged 17. Earlier this month she told crime reporter John Scheerhout she would like to see tougher punishments for knife crime offences. "I'm not saying I know the solution. I just wish people could see the devastation that is left behind," she said.
GMP has a dedicated team of officers fighting knife crime across the region who seize knives 'most days', use stop-and-search powers in 'hotspot' areas and work with the Border Force to stop weapons coming into the country.
And the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit employs experts to work in schools, hospitals and the community to help steer those at risk of becoming involved in knife crime onto the straight and narrow.
As part of that work, youngsters are being educated about the role of social media in exacerbating feuds while ‘navigators’ help young victims recover from their experience and stay away from future trouble. The combined authority says the scheme has helped 500 young people since launching in 2019.
Teachers back on the picket line
Almost 3,000 teaching staff took part in a demonstration in Manchester this afternoon.
Member of the National Education Union (NEU) are on strike due to an ongoing row over pay.
More than 12,000 members across Greater Manchester were expected to take action.
A number of schools closed entirely for the day, as picket lines formed, while others welcomed only pupils from a small number of year groups or vulnerable children.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan says a 'serious offer' has been made for the NEU to get back to the table and pause the strikes.
Fire service investigations
A total of 13 officers are currently under investigation at Greater Manchester Fire Service for gross misconduct. Of those, four are being investigated for sexual misconduct, chief reporter Neal Keeling has revealed.
In a memo to staff Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel, says ‘the alleged behaviour of individuals seriously calls into question the culture and values of GMFRS’.
In the last three years and two months, 12 officers have been investigated for sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or sexual discrimination. Asked how many employees have been or are in the process of being sacked, suspended or allowed to retire following such complaints over the last four years, GMFRS said there were two such cases in 2020; four in 2021; three in 2022; and three so far this year. In addition, five firefighters have been sacked and four more have been suspended from the same station for alleged racist comments made on a WhatsApp group. Another was sacked for a racist comment in a separate case.
The new Chief Fire Officer has rolled out a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to inappropriate behaviour following a number of high-profile incidents at forces across the country.
Mr Russel said there is ‘no place’ for bullying, harassment or discrimination ‘in any form’ at GMFRS.
Within the inner relief road
Transport bosses have set out what a new Clean Air Zone would look like if Greater Manchester is required to introduce daily charges for some vehicles. Local leaders insist they no longer want any charges but the government has told them to look at plans for charging certain vehicles in the city centre only.
The government asked for more evidence for the ‘investment-led’ approach favoured by local leaders. Modelling data is being prepared but it will not be ready until the end of June.
In the meantime, transport bosses have set out what the Clean Air Zone would look like if charges were imposed. The only area where any vehicles would be charged under the new 'benchmark' Clean Air Zone is within the inner relief road.
This means that vehicles travelling on the Mancunian Way, Great Ancoats Street or Trinity Way would not be charged unless they enter the city centre. Like the previous plans, cars would be exempt from any charges but buses, taxis and lorries which do not meet emissions standards would have to pay.
Unlike the previous plans, Greater Manchester's 'starting point' is now for vans to be exempt from charges. But according to a report, Greater Manchester has been asked to model a Category C zone as well which would see vans charged.
The daily charges would be the same as previously proposed and there would be funding available for vehicle upgrades. But the impact of increasing the value of these grants by 22.5 per cent to account for inflation will be investigated.
You can read more about the CAZ proposals from local democracy reporter Joseph Timan here.
Let battle commence
Controlling an army of orcs and elves is not for the faint hearted. But Mike Porter takes it in his stride. He is one of the best Warhammer players in the world and recently finished third in the Warhammer International Tournament Circuit final in Las Vegas after beating almost 3,500 other players.
As he told reporter Rami Mwamba, he understands that there is a stereotype surrounding Warhammer players, but he’s here to blast those perceptions out of the water.
Growing up playing the game he says there was a typical ‘you’re playing a board game, you’re a nerd’ attitude to the game. But Mike also represented his county at hockey, football and athletics as a youngster and saw the Warhammer as just another competitive game.
“There certainly was a stigma but when you get past that college, university stage, everybody accepts everybody for what they like,” he says. “It’s a wonderful hobby, you paint, you build and you make figures. There’s so much to do in the social aspect as well as the gaming aspect.”
Warhammer is a miniature tabletop wargame created by staff at Games Workshop - the wargaming company founded by former Altrincham Grammar School for Boys pupils Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. Players command armies of humans, elves and orcs, building and painting the models themselves. Warhammer 40,000 rose in popularity during the pandemic when celebrities like Ed Sheeran and Henry Cavil joined in.
Mike started playing when he was just eleven years old, meeting up with pals for a McDonald’s breakfast from 5am and then playing for around 12 hours at an old mill in Stockport. “You would be playing until seven, eight at night and then you’d get up the next day and do it all again,” he says.
Bolton Primary School teacher Mike, 41, is keen to pass his love of the game onto the next generation and is currently coaching players. The dad-of-two will soon lead a Warhammer club at the school. "Since I’ve come back from Vegas a lot of the children have gone out and bought Warhammer things. I’m really excited to bring on the next generation,” he says.
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Weather etc
- Wednesday: Overcast. 9C.
- Road closures: M67 Eastbound entry slip road closed due to long-term roadworks at J2 St Annes Road (Denton). Until 1st December 2025.
- A627 Dowson Road Northbound, Hyde, closed due to water main work from Thornley Street to B6468 Market Street. Until 3rd March.
- A669 Lees Road, Oldham, in both directions closed due to emergency water main repairs between B6194 Cross Street and The Fire Station. Until 2nd March.
- Trivia question: Which Oldham-born actress has appeared in a number of productions by director Shane Meadows?
Manchester headlines
Northern Lights: An easyJet pilot turned 360 degrees over the ocean on Monday night to give all passengers on board a chance to see the 'incredible' Northern Lights. Pictures taken by a passenger on the flight, which was returning to Manchester Airport from Reykjavik, capture the stunning hues of green, purple and pink across the sky. Photographer Adam Groves, who had returned from an engagement weekend away in Iceland, said: "We took off and halfway into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view was out the left window. We were sat on the right hand side and after two to three minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see."
Coroner’s report: A woman who died from Covid pneumonia waited nine hours for an ambulance after a fall at home. Patricia Green also faced a three-hour wait to see a doctor after arriving at A&E at Tameside hospital, a coroner's report says. It details how Mrs Green was left lying on the floor, unable to use the toilet, with her breathing deteriorating following the fall last summer. Mrs Green died of Covid pneumonia on June 30, 2022. Following an inquest in Stockport in January, Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Manchester South, has now written a report to the Health Secretary highlighting concerns about delays to Ms Green's treatment. The North West Ambulance Service said procedures have since improved. More here.
- Incident: A student was detained by police after an incident involving an 'imitation firearm' at the University of Bolton on Friday. An eyewitness to the incident - said to have occurred at the Social Learning Zone at the university's campus off Deane Road in Bolton town centre - said 'two students had BB guns and they were firing them.' The university said police were called in 'thanks to the vigilance of our security staff' and that their security policy was immediately initiated. One student was detained by officers following the 'isolated incident' they added.
New policy: Pupils were seen queuing up outside The Kingsway School, in Cheadle, on Monday morning after a new 'search' policy was introduced. School bosses told parents that as of yesterday, children would be met by 'senior leaders' at the gates to 'ensure they have everything they need'. Pictures and videos taken from outside the school show huge queues of pupils outside. Parents were previously issued a letter asking for their support in maintaining and improving the 'standards' with measures aimed at minimising ‘time spent in the classroom engaged in conversations about being ready’. The school says the 'firm approach' has been 'very well supported' by families and delays will reduce in time.
Worth a read
In this very interesting piece by reporter James Holt, residents living in the shadow of Old Trafford speak candidly about the realities of having Manchester United as a neighbour.
Among them is Graham Wright, who admits he is considering moving house thanks to the tens of thousands of supporters who flood through the streets of OT each week during the season.
Residents have been embroiled in bitter parking rows, say alleyways are used as urinals and regularly find litter dumped in their front gardens. "How long have you got?" Graham joked to James when he asked him to talk about it. "These problems have been going on for donkey's years.”
And he fears penalties for parking do little to deter people. "People just park on the street and are fined. That fine is reduced to around £30 if they pay within a week, which, if you have a car of four people, is only £7.50 each. So, really, it's just the same as parking in a normal car park isn't it?” he says.
You can read the full piece here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Jo Hartley.
