Police success against burglars

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thompson

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More than 180 offenders were arrested in GMP’s crackdown on burglary last week, bringing the grand total of arrests to almost 1,150 since the beginning of June.

Operation Storm saw police joined by Marston and Court Enforcement Officers and special police units including Tactical Aid and the Mounted and Dogs Section. More than 160 warrants were served on known burglary offenders breaching bail or curfew conditions or failing to pay fines. 

Police visited homes of 182 known and prolific offenders to check on their activities.

More than 900 open or unlocked doors and windows were identified by police and PCSOs on their patrols around Greater Manchester yesterday and around 1,300 homes were visited to give advice to residents on how they could prevent themselves from becoming a victim of burglary. More than 9,000 crime reduction leaflets were also delivered to houses across the county.

Dedicated burglary cars provided a first class response to victims of burglary across the Force and second-hand dealers were visited to warn them of the consequences of handling stolen goods.

The targeted day was organised to tackle a predicted increase in burglaries over the summer months. It also aimed to raise awareness of how people can avoid becoming a victim, as more residents tend to leave their windows and doors unlocked as the warmer weather creeps in. Typically, one in three burglars occur as the result of an insecurity.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) operations were used on roads surrounding burglary hotspot areas, resulting in four arrests and the seizure of 37 untaxed or uninsured vehicles.

Superintendent Nadeem Butt said: “Operation Storm was extremely successful yesterday, not only in the 180 arrests that were made, but in the number of people advised by police on how to keep their properties safe.

“We are keen to stress that our targeted efforts to reduce burglary will continue over the summer months and there are numerous operations running across Greater Manchester that will take even more criminals off our streets.

“We would also like to remind residents to lock their windows and doors and help us to reduce the one in three burglaries that are caused as a result of an insecurity.”

Joint operations with neighbouring forces including Cheshire, Lancashire and West Yorkshire were also carried out to catch criminals straying over the border.

Operation Storm is supported by a marketing campaign that raises awareness of how to avoid becoming a victim of burglary and reminds people to ‘Lock up, keep em out’.