Three held after gun incident

DETECTIVES investigating the fatal shooting of Junaid Khan have been called in after three men were arrested in Werneth last night.

The three were taken into custody after reports of men inside a car threatening people with a gun in Werneth Hall Road at around 7.30pm.

Police, who suspect the incident was drug related, are making inquiries to see if there is any link to the gunning down of Junaid, of Cotton Mill Crescent.

The 21-year-old was shot dead in the Block Lane surgery car park, Chadderton, in the early hours of July 9.

In yesterday’s incident, three men, aged 25, 20 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Police traced the car to a house in Malvern Street.

The doctor’s surgery car park where Junaid Khan was gunned down is to be ringed by a security fence.

Oldham Council has received a planning application to erect a single-storey front extension and new security fencing around the surgery.

Immediately after the shooting, local residents contacted the Chronicle to describe how the car park and near-by area, on the Werneth/Chadderton border, had been known for regular drug dealing.

One wrote: “Things have got worse in the 11 years I have lived here.

“The simple answer to stop the problems is to block the surgery car park off...stop cars parking at night and fit anti-vandal CCTV cameras.”

Chadderton councillor Colin McLaren said the area had been plagued by anti-social behaviour, with drugs dealt from a near-by phone box in the past.

The planning application was received by Oldham Council on Tuesday from NHS Oldham.

Shauna Dixon, director of clinical leadership for NHS Oldham, said: “We have been working with local residents and the police on plans to erect the fence for around six months.

“The aim is to make the surgery more secure and to prevent anti-social behaviour such as vandalism. We have also recently secured money to add an extension to the surgery to enable training of trainee GPs.”