THE man who highlighted crime fears on the Polefield estate in Parliament is now charged with doing something about it.

Bury South MP Ivan Lewis has been appointed to the standing committee of the Crime and Disorder Bill.

The committee will scrutinise legislation aimed at tackling neighbourhood nuisance, anti-social behaviour, youth crime and racial harassment nationally.

Mr Lewis said he was delighted with the appointment, and said the Bill would tackle many of the problems faced by local residents.

"Too many decent citizens are having their lives made a misery by the activities of a disruptive minority," he said.

"I hope to make Government ministers and fellow committee members aware of the difficulties faced by many people living in my constituency on estates such as Polefield and Rainsough."

Meanwhile, a war of words has broken out between Mr Lewis and the head of a local police body over Polefield's troubles.

Mr Sam Cohen, chairman of Bury South Police and Community Consultative Group, says people at a recent meeting were disappointed to hear the MP's Commons speech singling out the estate as a haven of crime. "They felt it gave a negative and somewhat unfair view of Bury," Mr Cohen said in a letter to Mr Lewis.

"It was also felt that your comments did not accurately reflect levels of crime and other incidents in the Polefield area."

Mr Cohen asked the MP to substantiate his claims and reveal where he got his figures from.

But the MP has responded furiously, accusing Mr Cohen, a former Tory councillor standing in next week's local elections, of abusing his position for political gain.

"My office has been swamped by calls and letters from Polefield residents expressing support for my position," he said.

"I am saddened that you appear to be out of touch with the experiences of local people.

"I can only assume you were manipulating your position in an attempt to make political capital out of people's misery."

The MP says his office raised concerns with the police before going public.

However, Mr Cohen expressed surprise at the MP's "nasty" outburst.

"I did not make any political points or denigrate him.

"It seems as if I have hit a nerve. He can say what he wants in Parliament where he has privilege, but it didn't do justice to the people of the estate.

"It's not coming across to the police that there's a major problem in Polefield. If crime is really that bad, then people are not reporting it."

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