Silent Crime: Sunderland Fans' Museum founder speaks out after venue targeted 10 times in 10 months by vandals and thieves

Sunderland Echo

Sunderland Fans' Museum Founder Michael Ganley speaks out on the issue of Silent Crime.

Transcript

00:00Okay, Michael, would you start by asking about some of the types of crime, the number of

00:15crime you've been a victim of since you opened back in 2019?

00:20We've probably seen over 15 incidents back here, from lead theft, which was of considerable

00:26impact. We actually broke into the venue a number of times, our wagon shed being broken

00:34into, the staining of our flags, our football table externally, as well as obviously all

00:42the graffiti that's now on the building.

00:45Can you give me a couple of instances where you've contacted the police and where you

00:48feel that it wasn't resolved satisfactorily and not much was done?

00:53I think one time, a very powerful time, was the time when there was two people in the

00:56building helping themselves to a number of bottles of air, spirits, and the CCTV team

01:03from Somerset City Council had actually caught the guys walking across the railway bridge

01:07to find out that the police were too busy, even though they could have caught them red-handed,

01:13just didn't bother attending. It took them two days to attend after that.

01:18These are the instances when there was a situation when there was somebody on the roof and it

01:24was a police matter and it didn't have any impact on me, but obviously it did because

01:29we found out that there was a great deal of damage to the slates on the roof. But again,

01:35the communication with the police, sometimes now it's not even worth making the phone call to them.

01:42Is that the point you're at now? I mean, when you get these instances happen, do you know

01:46somebody's not bothering to report them to the police or is that something you still always do?

01:50Yeah, purely and simply because it's literally, there's your crime number and resolution is

01:57not making a claim for my insurance. We've never made a claim. I don't want to make a claim.

02:01It just puts a big black dot against what I want to do in the city to support, you know,

02:06who I support. So yeah, I can understand the resources, but also on the other hand,

02:11the frustration, not just for myself, there's a lot of other businesses out there who are basically,

02:18let's use the word one man bands, who've got a big impact when something happens to them. So

02:25ourselves now have just come to the conclusion, we just get on with it like we've done from day one,

02:31but it would be nice to get some support, shall we say. I know the fans are going to do a heck

02:36of a lot for the local community. How does it make you feel when you get targeted in this

02:41sort of way, particularly with something to do with the football club, which is such a big part

02:45of the city? It does affect me, obviously, because, you know, it's part of my personal collection that's

02:52on display in the building seven days a week, seven nights a week. But from that, we've got

02:58obviously a lot of vulnerable team members who need support. They don't need to be waking up

03:06on the morning to find out that fans may have even broken into. The insecurity in their lives is

03:10because of health reasons. I want to bring them into an environment that gives them support,

03:15but also gives them a safe space. And obviously, seeing these stories,

03:19needing these stories obviously does have an effect on people.

03:22And so what more do you think the police need to do to tackle things like anti-social behaviour,

03:27vandalism, the graffiti you've experienced? I suppose crime should be considered not a

03:32top priority. What more do you think they should be doing?

03:34Definitely communication. We've got community police, but unfortunately, we never see them.

03:41And while we never see them, obviously, what's the point? We just get told we'll come out.

03:47You know, we're on beck and call for people to come and pay us a visit from the police, but

03:53we never see them. But obviously, there should never be a priority in the level of crime.

03:59The crime, obviously, that is going unseen is the ones now that people now need to realise about.

04:05And obviously, you know, this is what this is about. Now, make a statement and say,

04:09we've had enough of crime. That's against us at the museum, but also the city.

04:14We now, you know, we need to make a stance.

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