Thousands of weapons have been taken off Greater Manchester's streets in the past year. Greater Manchester Police says officers have seized 3,265 weapons since April 2022 as part of a major blitz on knife crime and serious violence.
And a further 3,400 knives have been handed in to police using amnesty bins over the past three months. It comes amid concern about knife crime in the region following a spate of serious incidents since the turn of the year, while GMP figures say 898 knife crimes were reported from November to January.
Tommy McDonagh, who runs Collyhurst and Moston Amateur Boxing Club, last month described knife crime as a 'pandemic' that was 'just getting worse'. But GMP insists its actions are having a positive effect - with the region seeing 168 fewer recorded knife crime offences in 2022, a reduction of 3.8% against 2021.
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Superintendent Caroline Hemingway, GMP’s lead for knife crime, said: “Unfortunately, serious violence and knife crime is a problem we are seeing across the country and particularly in metropolitan areas and it is not unique to Manchester. GMP is committed to doing everything in our power to reduce these incidences of knife crime and ensure our communities feel safe.
"Every life lost is a tragedy and behind each and every one of our figures is a family and a community deeply hurt by knife crime. I am pleased that progress is being made but there is still a long way to go to further prevent and reduce this type of crime."
Following additional investment, GMP launched Operation Venture in December 2022 to reduce violent crime in neighbourhoods. Since its launch, the operation has overseen 84 arrests, taken 33 weapons off the streets of Greater Manchester, and conducted 106 positive stop-searches that resulted in the detection of an offence.
Officers have also carried out 32 targeted visits to known offenders who may pose a risk to themselves and others, while the recent surge of knives surrendered to police means thousands more weapons have been handed over voluntarily. Supt Hemingway added: “We owe it to our communities to make them feel safer and this is why Operation Venture has been launched alongside other proactive policing operations.
"We also work closely with our partners and are part of the wider Violence Reduction Unit, which is a co-ordinated partnership that addresses the underlying causes of violence to help ensure young people are educated on the dangers and referred to proper safeguarding services. However, whilst enforcement is a vital tactic in the fight against knife crime, GMP cannot win this fight alone.
"Communities need to come together and continue sharing their concerns and any intelligence so officers can act on it.” Information can be reported to GMP using the LiveChat feature on the force's website or by calling 101.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers also has a dedicated website - Fearless.org - which enables 11- to 17-year-olds to pass on information anonymously. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
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