Six men arrested in crime crackdown

Police from Operation Venture have been cracking down on crime force-wide by patrolling areas most impacted by serious violence.

Over a three-night period, officers attended to nine incidents, making six arrests, which included four positive outcomes in North Manchester last week. Community intelligence was also gathered. 

A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, dangerous driving, failing to stop and motoring offences. 

Two 16-year-old offenders were also arrested on suspicion of robbery after two separate incidents in the city centre. 

Three men – all in their 20s – were arrested on suspicion of burglary following a report of thieves on Bradford Road. All of those detained were found in possession of angle grinders. 

Since Operation Venture’s formation in 2022, they have dedicated their time cracking down on violence, particularly focused on knife crime, and have made a significant dent in criminality across the force area. 

The team have continued to patrol across Greater Manchester with a focus on any areas of concern to continue to ensure communities feel safe. 

Recently there’s been a strong focus on North Manchester following a number of incidents in the district and officers have been supporting the neighbourhood teams to provide extra patrols and reassurance to communities. 

Operation Venture also works tirelessly to ensure knives are not getting into the wrong hands with test purchasing days across Greater Manchester using undercover police cadets to ensure that shops are playing their part to reduce and prevent knife crime incidents. 

The team are working as part of the Violence Reduction Unit to deter young people away from criminality and break down any previous barriers young people may have had with the police. 

Inspector Jon Ezard said: “Our team cover the entire of Greater Manchester and we are there to ensure any areas of concern benefit from our dedicated and targeted skills in tackling knife crime. 

“Knives have no place on our streets, and we want communities to feel safe where they live, where their children go to school and where they work. 

“Our team relies on intelligence from members of the community so we can ensure we are targeting our patrol plans in the best areas.” 

If you have any information regarding knife crime call anonymously at Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.