Busy few months for Manchester North officers tackling neighbourhood crime

This week’s round up highlights the work of our neighbourhood officers in North Manchester, showcasing how our teams are delivering GMPs Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. 

Our neighbourhood officers work hard to safeguard vulnerable people, tackling crime head on and working alongside partners to solve long term problems.

In August, neighbourhood officers visited the Harpurhey District Centre to help tackle the issue of shoplifting and aggressive begging.

Officers spoke with owners of several different shops and expressed that they needed to start reporting these types of crimes so we can pinpoint which areas require police support. 

One of the ways we can tackle these types of crime are by issuing Criminal Behaviour Orders to prolific offenders, which give us additional powers to arrest and remove these offenders for the area. 

The feedback we had from residents and shop owners in the area was positive and they were happy to see officers walking around the town centre, taking the time to speak to them so they could discuss local problems. 

One of the main issues that not just North Manchester, but the whole of Greater Manchester is trying to tackle are the growing numbers of Surron bikes and e-bikes being ridden antisocially on our roads. 

The neighbourhood team in North Manchester took part in two days of action tackling e-bikes across the district. 

Inspector Dan Pickavance from the Harpurhey Neighbourhood Team said that teams have been using various tactics with the help of partners to seize e-bikes. 

He said: “We will continue to endeavour to protect our community, make our streets safer and make our town safer. It’s imperative that we overcome this problem.”

One of the main things that our neighbourhood officers do is attend community events. They recently attended the Cheetham Cultural Festival which took place over four days in October and coincided with Hate Crime Awareness Week. 

Officers attend these types of events so people can ask questions, report any safety concerns and show their support to tackle hate crime. 

One of the most significant incidents that took place in North Manchester was the terrorist incident at Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall. 

Linking into trying to tackle hate crime, we stationed extra uniformed officers to do increased visits to local places of worship, particularly amongst our Jewish communities in North Manchester, Bury and Salford. 

Our neighbourhood officers provided reassurance to the public at a deeply distressing time.

At the beginning of November, the Moston Neighbourhood Policing Team spotted two men acting suspiciously on Ludgate Road whilst on a mobile patrol. 

When they were approached, they fled through a garden but were apprehended and a shotgun that was loaded and viable was recovered which would have posed a serious risk to the public. 

Our neighbourhood officers played a vital role in keeping our community safe and highlights the team’s dedication and effectiveness in removing weapons from the streets.

This month, the Neighbourhood Policing Team in Harpurhey were engaging in a shoplifting week of action. Shoplifting is an offence that has a real impact on local businesses, and it is one area that we are focused on taking appropriate action to prevent re-offending. 

Neighbourhood Team 2 have been out and about on patrols tackling offenders of shoplifting. During a day of action, the team arrested a total of three people for shoplifting.

Operation Avro took place across the city of Manchester recently, which included North Manchester, and the results of this day of action were positive. 

The day consisted of warrants, raids and arrests for offences involving drugs and weapons being seized. 

A crime prevention stall was set up at Manchester Fort Shopping Park in Cheetham Hill where local residents learnt about ‘Bee in the Loop’, our direct messaging system between officers and our communities. 

By being signed up, you can hear about any updates and issues happening in your area at a hyperlocal level, so we encourage as many people as possible to sign up to the service. 

To find out more about what’s happening in your neighbourhood, visit the Your Area pages on our website and sign up to Bee in the Loop.