The Blackley Estate in Manchester, England has been dubbed a “warzone” less “safe” than Afghanistan by a local veteran.
The Manchester suburb has turned into a crime-ridden “warzone” due to gang violence, with police being accused by Manchester residents of having more of a focus on “pronouns and diversity” than tackling crime.
The gangs, which are largely comprised of teenagers, freely roam the streets at night brandishing weapons such as machetes and sometimes firearms, and the area is rife with muggings of both adults and children, burglaries, car theft, dog theft, and antisocial behaviour.
In one incident, a 14-year-old boy was hospitalised after being ‘pistol-whipped’ by a gang of youths, Manchester Evening News reports.
A former soldier speaking to Manchester Evening News, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals, branded Blackley a “warzone” and said he “felt safer” when he was fighting in Afghanistan than walking the streets of Blackley.
The veteran said he was “too scared to even walk to the shop around the corner from my house” at night due to gangs of teens armed with knives.
A local mum — who also asked to remain anonymous — said that a few weeks ago a gang of youths had thrown bricks through her family home’s front window in an apparently random attack.
Residents are blaming a “lack” of police presence for the overt gangland behaviour from the youths in the area.
Despite some criminals having access to firearms and other weapons in the United Kingdom, it is illegal to carry any item in public with the intention of using it for self-defence — so for law-abiding citizens items like pepper spray and tasers are not an option.
While certain firearms including some shotguns and rifles are available to obtain with a licence for sporting and other purposes, the process is arduous. If an individual does obtain a licence, in many cases it may still be viewed as a crime to use the firearm in self-defence if prosecutors deem it “disproportionate”.
Manchester Police, who have previously patrolled the streets in cars adorned with rainbows, released a statement in which they claimed they “have increased patrols within the areas of concern” and are working to “deter and disrupt those carrying out these offences”.
Speaking to Breitbart London, Nick Buckley MBE, founder of Mancunian Way charity set up to help prevent young people from becoming involved in crime — and also Reform UK’s mayoral candidate for Manchester — condemned Manchester police in Blackley.
“I’ve worked in this area for over two decades so know it well. This problem has been growing for a decade while the police have been concentrating on pronouns and diversity,” he said.
“Gangs from neighbouring areas now venture into Blackley for easier pickings. This is what happens when current policing is not fit for purpose for fear of offending. ”
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have a history of being criticised for woke stunts, receiving widespread ridicule when one of their officers donned a ‘rainbow bee’ costume in support of LGBT activism in 2018.
New Manchester Chief Constable Stephen Watson, appointed to improve the force, said in June 2021 that the public was “fed up” with woke policing and that officers should not be “putting rainbows on their epaulettes and wearing rainbow shoelaces”.
Manchester has both a leftist-run Labour council and a Labour leftist mayor, Andy Burnham, with Blackley falling under their jurisdiction.
On the council’s website they warn that over 7,000 students in Manchester will be a victim of a crime due to owning “expensive” items and advise students in the city not to “walk home alone” after nights out.
Commenting on Manchester as a whole, charity veteran Mr Buckley said Mayor Burnham was responsible for poor policing in the city.
“We all need to remember who is in charge of the police in Manchester — he is called Andy Burnham, the Mayor. A poorly performing police force is a direct consequence of the decisions made by the mayor,” he said.