Crime down and solve rates up as part of our commitment to neighbourhood policing
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) reports a 7.2% reduction in overall crime over the past 12 months, with 25,000 fewer crimes and 18,735 fewer victims. Burglaries and vehicle crimes have significantly decreased, and GMP has improved 999 response times to an average of 2 seconds. Chief Constable Stephen Watson and Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle highlight the success of neighbourhood policing initiatives, including Operation Vulcan in Oldham, which targets community concerns. Recent operations have led to arrests and seizures of stolen vehicles and off-road bikes, as well as the discovery of a cannabis farm in Bolton.
Crime across Greater Manchester has fallen by 7.2 percent over the past year, with 25,000 fewer offences recorded and 18,735 fewer victims - a daily reduction of more than 50 people.
Monthly burglary figures have dropped by 350 compared to 2021, while vehicle crime has also declined significantly. Greater Manchester Police now answers 999 calls in an average of two seconds, down from 47 seconds in May 2021, placing it among the fastest forces in England and Wales.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson told BBC Radio Manchester the force “will do all we can to bring people to justice” as neighbourhood policing numbers have risen to around 670 constables since he unveiled his neighbourhood strategy two years ago.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, GMP’s lead for Local Policing, said: “It is hugely satisfying to see significant reductions in neighbourhood crime in and that GMP is delivering results for our communities. At the same time as reducing crime volume, we have also seen increases in the rates of crime being solved. We are under no illusion that there is still much more to do to keep driving these reductions. These statistics are evidence of GMP’s commitment to neighbourhood policing and are a credit to the work of our neighbourhood policing teams in identifying and solving problems as well as the dedicated neighbourhood crime team, who work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”
Recent operations include the expansion of Operation Vulcan into Oldham, where officers and partners are carrying out sustained disruption in Derker after residents identified local concerns. Over the weekend in Trafford, officers arrested a suspected car thief in Sale and seized several off-road bikes in Carrington and Partington. Additional off-road bikes were confiscated during a targeted operation in Wigan, while neighbourhood officers uncovered a cannabis farm in Bolton after a public tip-off.
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