The nature of two New Year's Eve incidents which triggered the use of enhanced stop and search powers in a district of north Manchester can be revealed. The outbreaks of violence prompted the use of Section 60 powers for 24 hours on New Year's Day to assist GMP officers in "preventing serious violence following several violent crimes in the Harpurhey area recently'.
At the time, GMP published a map showing the area the use of Section 60 powers was targeting. The zoned area included Harpurhey shopping centre, the Asda store and McDonald's, and stretched out through Moston Vale to Greater Manchester Police headquarters.
Today, GMP have clarified the two violent incidents on New Year's Eve that prompted the triggering of the powers. In a statement, they said: "The first incident was an attack on an address where a petrol bomb was thrown at a window, this caused damage to the outer pane and failed to ignite. The second incident involved a group of males armed with bladed weapons attending an address and making threats and causing damage."
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The incidents had been preceeded by two shootings in September which are believed to be linked to the same ongoing dispute. The first was a shooting on September 23 when bullets were blasted into a home in Evanton Walk in Harpurhey at 2am.
Three days later gunshots were fired at a house in Penn Street, Moston, at around 9.45pm on Monday September 26. No one was injured but police said both shootings were 'targeted', linked, and being treated with a high level of seriousness".
Police have made one arrest following the shootings. In a dramatic swoop, officers arrested a 29-year-old man from north Manchester after an armed strike in Prestwich on September 27 in the car park of Aldi in Prestwich.
The suspect was detained when police stopped a black Audi that he was driving. He was out on licence at the time of the incident for another serious offence and has since been returned to prison.
Supt Paul Walker, of the City of Manchester Division, said: "The incidents referred to the discharge of firearms related to incidents back in September which were dealt with at the time. We have no further confirmed reports of firearms discharges in the area over recent days linked to the recent incidents in the area.
"The incidents leading to the Section 60 being put in place relate to two incidents which occurred on New Year's Eve involving violence and weapons, with no confirmed sightings of any firearms."
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