Salford Challenger Team and Neighbourhood officers conduct weapons sweep of park in Patricroft to tackle organised crime
GMP officers from Salford conducted a weapons sweep in Patricroft Park as part of efforts to tackle organised crime. The operation involved multiple teams, including the Challenger Team and Neighbourhood Policing Team, but no weapons were found. The initiative follows recent firearms discoveries in other Salford parks. GMP highlighted their success in recovering 308 illegal firearms over four years and emphasised community engagement and intelligence-gathering as key strategies. A recent case involving a shooting in Little Hulton resulted in three men receiving lengthy prison sentences.
Greater Manchester Police officers swept through Patricroft Park in Eccles on Wednesday, 12 February, searching for weapons potentially hidden by organised crime gangs.
The operation brought together Salford’s Challenger Team, the Tactical Aid Unit, and local neighbourhood officers who combed pathways lined with dense shrubbery, bushes, and trees. While no weapons were found, the search forms part of an intensifying campaign that has seen 308 illegal firearms seized from criminals in the past four years, even as national recovery rates decline.
The park sweep follows recent discoveries at Dukes Drive in Monton on 7 February and Ivy Park in Eccles on 8 February. All recovered weapons were made safe and removed from criminal hands. Neighbourhood officers simultaneously visited local schools and spoke with residents to address concerns and gather intelligence.
Detective Inspector Rebecca McGuigan of the Salford Challenger Team emphasised the ongoing threat: “Everyone should have the right to feel safe where they live and work without the fear of dangerous weapons in their neighbourhoods.” The unit’s recent successes include securing over 29 years in combined prison sentences for three men involved in a May 2024 shooting on Aspinall Crescent in Little Hulton, where a 20-year-old man suffered life-threatening chest injuries.
Additional searches of green spaces and proactive neighbourhood patrols are planned for the coming weeks as officers continue targeting organised crime networks operating across Salford.
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