67 arrests in Rochdale borough as police tackle violent crime

More than 670 people, 67 of them in Rochdale, have been arrested as part of Operation Admiral, Greater Manchester Police's major crackdown on alcohol-fuelled crime.

In one of the biggest single-day operations GMP has ever run, more than 3,000 officers and staff took to the streets over a 24-hour period to tackle violent crime.

Nearly 600 people were arrested in the 24-hour period, and since the operation began the total of arrests currently stands at 672.

Following on from dawn raids across Greater Manchester on Friday morning, during which hundreds of arrests were made and drugs and an AK47 rifle were recovered, police officers moved into the next phase of the operation.

Over the course of the day and throughout the evening, high levels of police activity were focused on visiting licensed premises and warning retailers about the need to sell alcohol responsibly.

A key part of Operation Admiral was to encourage sensible drinking, linking into the Think safe, Drink safe campaign.

Arrests of suspected violent criminals continued to be made, including an intoxicated man carrying two nine-inch kitchen knives who was arrested by police on Manchester Road in Castleton at 3.25am Saturday morning.

A number of pubs were closed down under section 161 of the 2003 Licensing Act. During a search of one pub in south Manchester that was closed down, officers discovered a cannabis farm behind a false wall inside the premises.

Credentials of door staff were also inspected, resulting in the discovery of counterfeit identification cards and door staff using false details that were then checked through the use of Lantern fingerprint checks.

The operation comes after a Government survey revealed that one in three people across the North West see drunk or rowdy behaviour as a major issue.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Shewan said: "Over the past 24 hours more than 3,000 police officers and staff have taken part in operations across Greater Manchester to make our town and city centres safer.

"More than 670 violent criminals have been arrested in an operation which has been in response to the concerns expressed in our communities about alcohol fuelled violence.

"We know that the level of drunken aggression is unacceptable in our towns and so to tackle this problem many operations have been run overnight to challenge drunkenness, arrest those whose behaviour places other people in fear and at risk, and tackle those licensees who are not prepared to work with the authorities to make their premises safe for their customers.

"A number of pubs were closed down including one where a cannabis factory was found.
"On behalf of Greater Manchester Police I would like to thank the public for their strong support over the last 24 hours and can assure them that we will continue to tackle alcohol fuelled violence in the future. For much of today our town centres have been safer and more enjoyable places. Working with the public, parents and licensees we are determined that we build upon today's successes by further reducing violent crime and giving people the confidence to enjoy their town centres without fear of being assaulted."

The Force worked closely with its partner agencies such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the court system throughout the operation to cope with the demands of the large amount of prisoners, and local authority partners also took to the town centres undertaking additional compliance checks.