An article published elsewhere on this website yesterday previewed a long awaited meeting between a controversial, unregulated ‘vigilante’ group and representatives of concerned residents of the same town (read more here).
In the event, it turned out to be a huge disappointment as the criminals, thugs and bullies who appear to dominate Failsworth Street Patrol behind the scenes, and its sister Facebook page, Failsworth First, decided, a short time after that article went live, that being confronted by two articulate, well prepared female representatives from another Facebook group, Failsworth Moan, was more than they could handle.
The meeting and its venue, Failsworth Town Hall, had been arranged by local councillor, Brian Hobin, who represents the Failsworth Independent Party on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. It was predicated on repeated statements, made publicly, by FSP founder, local businessman Paul Wadsworth (who has no known criminal convictions or propensity for violence), that he and/or his associates were prepared to meet, at any time or place, any other individual or group with concerns about the way the patrol was run or about its finances and administration.
This is the list of questions that was presented to the Failsworth Street Patrol and copied to Cllr Hobin, the meeting chair, ahead of the meeting.
Patrollers:
1. How many active patrollers do FSP have?
2. How many nights a week do FSP patrol and for how many hours?
3. How can members of the public recognise FSP? Do they have ID cards? Claimed
they did on 17/10/2020 and 29/11/2020. Do they have a uniform?
4. What ID checks do FSP do on patrollers and who carries out these checks? On
15/10/2020 stated all volunteers sign an agreement, they hold records of car
details and patrollers will have photo ID
5. Are all patrollers enhanced DBS checked? As working with children and vulnerable
adults (homeless, dementia patients, etc). Claimed they were in process on
3/3/2021
6. Has Garry Dunkerley ever patrolled for FSP?
7. Do you think it is appropriate to have convicted criminals chasing innocent children
and threatening violence if they do catch them? Chased distressed 10/12 year old girl on 17/03/2021 and ‘young male’ on 26/03/2021
8. Are any of FSP trained in working with young people?
9. FSP posted on 28/09/2020 that they did not approach anyone, on 29/04/2021 they
‘caught some guys on bike at 03.45 on Averil Street carrying Makita tools, engaged
and found out where they live!. How did you find out where they live?
Finances:
1. Do FSP have a bank account? It is the law if collecting public money.
2. Why didn’t you go for charity status like you originally wanted to or become a
registered scheme provider under the Home Watch banner? (11/11/20) both would
have secured funding for FSP?
3. What happened to the £3009 GoFundMe raised in Paul’ Wadsworth’s name? Is there an audit trail? On 3/11/2020 FSP stated ‘not one volunteer has received a penny in the 12
weeks we have been doing this’
4. How much was raised at the Santa Singalong? What happened to that money and
who was responsible for counting and logging the money?
5. What happened to the other cash and cheque donations they received? SWR
Associates donated £250 on 13/11/2020, APG Decorating £100 on 12/11/2020
6. Are FSP willing to hand over their books and receipts for an independent audit by a
chartered accountant? This will be completely free of charge.
7. Why do you no longer ask for or accept donations?
8. Who is currently funding FSP? They drive average of 38 miles per night (post dated
30/10/2020) and fuel prices are high. How much does this cost per night and how
long is it sustainable?
9. How many employees did Cyro Locksmiths Ltd have before FSP started and how
many does it have now?
Insurance
1. Do you have valid public liability insurance? It appeared to expire 02/02/2022
2. How much did your previous insurance cost? You claimed you were getting quotes
of £2500 on 28/01/2021
3. What does the insurance cover? Are the public and patrollers both protected and
to what extent?
Additional questions:
1. Has the first responders NHS community ambulance been used by FSP on its
patrols?
2. How is FSP’s GDPR managed when taking photos in public of the general public
and posting them online without their permission?
3. Is it true a retired police officer has patrolled with you and if so what is their name?
4. What happened to Paul Wadsworth after he was questioned by the police for interfering with the police chase on 02/03/2021? Who paid for the residents fence to be repaired
that you damaged and do you have receipts?
5. Why have FSP posted images of a suicidal man on their page? 20/04/2021
6. Why have numerous people and fake profiles attached to FSP harassed, stalked
and intimidated females?
7. Why does one of your patrollers incite racism on your page and why aren’t racist
comments removed?
8. How was FSP founded? Paul said ‘one man and his dog’ but isn’t that Crimewatchers?
9. On 27/10/2020 FSP posted that they had been informed by the police that crime in
Failsworth has dropped, so car insurance will go down and house prices increase,
do they have the official statistics?
It is unarguable that the list of questions is comprehensive, fair, factual and well reasoned. It was a golden opportunity for FSP to not only clear the air between their leading lights and residents in the town, it was a template to put the patrol on a proper, lawful footing that Failsworth townsfolk could fully endorse.
In the lead up to the meeting, FSP had sought to apply a list of increasingly ludicrous conditions for the meeting to take place, including that those attending a meeting hosted in the Town Hall by a local councillor should present either their passport or driving licence. Of itself a breach of data protection law and regulations. It became increasingly obvious that the ‘we will meet anyone, anytime, anywhere’ mantra was another blow of hot air from FSP.
They claimed, in a post on their Facebook page just over 6 hours before the meeting was scheduled to take place, that they cancelled the meeting because two particular individuals, the administrators of Failsworth Moan, Lucie Greg and Lee Smith, were not attending. Those two have been subjected to months of relentless, unpleasant bullying by Wadsworth and his cohort and FSP clearly saw the meeting’s purpose to continue that course of conduct, rather than fulfilling its stated purpose of answering questions.
FSP did not respond to an invitation to provide written answers to the questions and instead asserted, on the Failsworth First page, that they would carry on patrolling regardless of the huge safeguarding and regulatory concerns highlighted in the list of questions. Claiming perversely, at the same time, that their cancellation of the meeting was a victory for them.
Failsworth First, in a field of plenty, has to be regarded amongst the darkest of the dark corners of the internet in Greater Manchester. A filthy cesspit of the worst type of bullying, harassment, perversion and routinely defamatory comment. It is regrettable to say the least that, apart from Paul Wadsworth, a candidate for election to Oldham Council next month, Sandra Ball, is amongst its small group of members. Another prominent Failsworth Independent Party member, Joanne Potts, is also present.
Cllr Hobin has been approached to make a definitive statement on the situation over the FSP irregularities, as have the other five Failsworth councillors, Greater Manchester Police, Oldham Council, North West Ambulance Service and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Paul Wadsworth and Sandra Ball have been offered right of reply.
Page last updated: Friday 15th April, 2022 at 0925 hours
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