Greater Manchester Police arrested 52 people and conducted more than 100 vehicle stops during a major crackdown on neighbourhood crime across the region on Thursday.

Operation AVRO, the force’s monthly initiative that floods a different district with extra officers and specialist resources, targeted burglaries, vehicle theft and personal robberies through a combination of enforcement, engagement and prevention measures. Officers executed seven warrants, set up knife arches, visited schools and patrolled crime hotspots in every district.

In Bury, traffic officers pulled over 45 vehicles on Manchester Road in Whitefield within three hours, finding 11 speeding violations, 13 document irregularities and seven defective vehicles. One driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of cannabis.

Bolton officers recovered a suspected stolen vehicle while responding to a shoplifting incident at a supermarket. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of theft and going equipped, with the car seized for examination.

Manchester city centre teams arrested two men - one for phone theft following a house search where they recovered a suspected stolen mobile, and another for two alleged burglaries reported on November 13th.

“Yesterday’s activity was designed to give communities across Greater Manchester the confidence that GMP is committed to keeping people safe,” said Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, GMP lead for neighbourhood crime. “Victims of these types of crimes know and have told us what lasting harm they can cause: preventing that for as many as possible is our ambition.”

The operation also included retail crime operations, weapons sweeps, Metrolink patrols and joint visits with Trading Standards officers to local stores.

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