Neighbourhood Policing Week: Greater Manchester's Proactive Operations

During the national Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) intensified its operations across all 10 districts to address local concerns. The week saw proactive patrols, hotspot patrols, and enforcement actions aimed at tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, shoplifting, and vehicle crime.

Neighbourhood teams executed warrants and disrupted criminal activity, working closely with partners and communities to address longer-term problems. For instance, proactive patrols led to the seizure of vehicles and e-bikes linked to anti-social use, directly responding to residents' concerns. Plain-clothes operations targeted drug dealing, resulting in arrests and the disruption of organised criminal activity. Officers dismantled cannabis farms after acting on community intelligence, removing illegal drugs from neighbourhoods.

Additional patrols and enforcement activity were deployed in key areas such as Manchester’s Northern Quarter, addressing issues raised by residents and businesses. Neighbourhood teams prioritised engagement with local communities, recognising its vital role in building trust and preventing crime. Over the past year, GMP has reduced neighbourhood crime by 15%, alongside significant reductions in burglary and vehicle crime and increased enforcement activity.

During the week of action, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson visited neighbourhood policing teams in Stockport and undertook a warrant in Woodley aimed at safeguarding a potential victim of cuckooing. He highlighted the importance of neighbourhood policing as an essential cornerstone of GMP's operating model, stating: "Neighbourhood policing is not merely a nice thing to have; it is an essential cornerstone of our operating model. It means we can manage recurrent demand such that we can simultaneously respond effectively and quickly, investigate crime properly, bring people to justice, whilst also making sure that stuff that happens time and time and time again is dealt with once, it's dealt with well."

Neighbourhood policing continues to play a key role in reducing crime across Greater Manchester. Since 2021, GMP has reduced burglary by a third, vehicle crime by a quarter, and brings 100 shoplifters to justice each week. Every district ward has a named local police officer, which can be found and contacted via the GMP website, and the community engagement service Bee In The Loop keeps residents informed of ongoing efforts.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson expressed gratitude for the continued endeavors of his colleagues during the week of action, stating: "This important cornerstone of policing has enabled GMP to perform as we have done over the past five years with a year-on-year improvement. It is to all of those officers in our neighbourhood policing team, supported by PCSOs and wider partner agencies, that I am eternally grateful."