42 arrests, £20,000 cash, 17kg of drugs seized and two replica firearms recovered as Operation AVRO returns to borough

Date published: 23 February 2024

Rochdale was a hive of activity on Thursday (22 February 2024) as Operation AVRO returned to the borough once again for a proactive day of police action.

Fourteen warrants were executed throughout the day with 42 people arrested for a range of criminal offences. £20,000 in cash was also seized which is suspected to be the proceeds of crime as well as two replica firearms.

AVRO is a force-wide initiative that delivers a surge of extra resources and specialist officers to a different district within Greater Manchester each month.

The day saw GMP engage in a number of activities through proactive policework, tackling the issues which matter most to the community.

Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis started the day off by addressing more than 100 officers at Heywood Sports Village ahead of his first Operation AVRO as Rochdale’s District Commander.

Early morning warrants took place at addresses on Mornington Road, Gladstone Crescent and Church Lane, in Rochdale, with 16 arrests being made for multiple offences such as drugs supply, cultivation of cannabis and possession of a firearm, all before 9am.

Four cannabis farms were found and dismantled alongside a number of Class A and B drugs being seized, with the final number coming to 17kg of drugs taken off the streets.

Rochdale’s Neighbourhood Team, in partnership with Trading Standards, conducted several premises visits to check for illegal vapes and cigarettes. Ten thousand illicit cigarettes were seized in the process of these warrants.

Partnership work with GMP’s Roads Policing Unit, Rochdale Borough Council, who were checking taxi licencing, as well as Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency came together on Queensway in Rochdale for a dedicated traffic operation.

There were 107 traffic offences committed during the day, 63 of them for speeding along with three cars being seized and three people arrested for drug driving.  

The mounted unit patrolled in Rochdale and Heywood town centre’s throughout the day. Officers also showed a proactive presence on the Rochdale Metrolink line during peak hours of the day and into the evening.

Five hundred and sixty-four passengers had their tickets checked which resulted in £4,320 worth of fines issued to 36 non-ticket holders.

Three illegal sublet premises with an estimated £30,000 in fraudulent activity were identified by Rochdale Borough Council’s Partnership Enforcement Team with one occupant in breach of his bail conditions.

Danny Inglis said: “Operation AVRO was a resounding success with 42 arrests taking place across a 24-hour period.

“The operation is about sending a message to those involved in criminality that this will not be tolerated, and we will catch up with you.

“We want to reassure those who live and work in Rochdale that we are listening to their concerns and we are working with local partners to eradicate any criminality in the area.

“I would like to thank all the officers from different districts who played a part in the operation yesterday,

What is Operation AVRO?

Operation AVRO is a force wide initiative that delivers extra resources and specialist officers to a different district within Greater Manchester each month and launched in Salford in October 2021.

Since then, it has travelled around the force with the operation targeting crimes and concerns that members of the public in that district have told GMP give them the most concern.