In the shadow of Sir Robert Peel's statue, hundreds of police officers are preparing to 'take the baddies off the streets' of Bury. It's just turned 6.30am but already a huge operation targeting criminals across the borough is under way.
Over the course of today, dozens of arrests will be made as doors are smashed in and a huge haul of drugs and weapons seized as part of Operation Avro. With 'the father of modern policing' looming over him, Chief Superintendent Chris Hill addresses the neatly assembled lines of officers opposite Bury Parish Church.
Invoking the words of Bury's most famous son, he reminds those gathered that 'the police are the public, and the public are the police'. "That's why we get out of bed in the morning," he adds.
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"Today, you're here in Bury to keep the people of Bury safe. I want 50 cars off the streets, I want 100 plus baddies off the streets of Bury today. That's down to you to do that for me."
The action kicks off just minutes later with a series of raids in streets around the borough. One of the homes police swoop on is a terraced property in Ulundi Street, Radcliffe.
After demands for those inside to "open the door" fall on deaf ears, a battering ram is produced. Police officers smash their way in through a back door and burst inside the property to find a cannabis farm and three bags containing 1kg of cannabis.
Around the corner in nearby Victoria Street, officers raid another property where they discover a cannabis farm made up of more than 40 plants, as well as £1,000 in cash and three bags filled with around £3,000 worth of cannabis.
Bewildered neighbours watch from their doorways in dressing gowns as a young man is later led from the house and into the back of a police van. He is one of dozens that will be arrested by police as part of the huge operation, which sees the force target criminals in a different borough each month.
Back in Bury, police raided a house in Norman Street, where they seized a van and arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to produce a Class B drug.
As part of Operation Avro, officers had previously seized £500,000 worth of cannabis following a series of raids at Pioneer Mill in Radcliffe. A huge cannabis farm was found hidden inside a wall at the site in Milltown Street.
Two stolen vans and a stolen bike were also recovered after 11 warrants were carried out at the mill and two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and handling stolen goods.
Across Bury, up to 250 officers took part in a series of raids, patrols and community engagement sessions. Throughout the day, GMP also carried out traffic and speeding operations on roads including Pimhole Road and Rochdale Road and delivered a knife crime awareness talk to pupils at Hazel Wood High School and Radcliffe Primary, where they were joined by a police helicopter.
Elsewhere, knife arches were deployed at Bury Interchange and at Whitefield Metrolink station. Aimed at detecting any dangerous weapons being carried by travellers, the hyper sensitive metal detector also doubles up as a deterrent and awareness tool for knife crime.
As of 6pm today, GMP had carried out 17 warrants and made 65 arrests for a range of offences, including burglary, assault, importation of drugs, theft, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, fraud and indecent assault. A huge haul of drugs, weapons and cash were also seized during the raids, including multiple samurai swords.
Speaking to the M.E.N., Ch Supt Hill said the operation was 'not just about kicking doors in and arresting people. He added: "Ultimately what today is about is getting the baddies off the streets and reassuring members of the public across Bury that we will, and we can keep them safe.
"The people we're after are the people who are hurting our communities. Those who are committing burglary, robbery, antisocial behaviour, theft of motor vehicle."
Ch Supt Hill said one of the main issues the operation was aiming to tackle was speeding, adding that members of the public had likened the roads of Bury to 'a racetrack'. He vowed to put an end to the problem as he issued a stern warning to those breaking the law.
He said: "If you are speeding in Bury today, if you are acting out antisocial behaviour in a motor vehicle, trust me we're going to stop you and we're going to give you a ticket. If you're on your mobile phone, we're going to give you a ticket, you're going to get points.
"If you've not got insurance, we'll take the car off you and then I'm going to put a big ribbon around it, park it up around Bury somewhere so everyone can see how many cars we've taken off the roads.
"My message is really clear. Don't drive through Bury or anywhere in Greater Manchester if you've not got insurance and you're speeding. Trust me, you're going to leave Bury with a ticket.
"Communities are telling me that's what upsets them, that's what worries them, that's what they're concerned about."
