Police charge 27 in drink fuelled crime crackdown

Glass of Beer

A major police crackdown on alcohol-fuelled crime saw 27 people charged across Rochdale.

Operation Admiral, a 24-hour attack on drunken behaviour, saw 76 people arrested in the Rochdale area.

14 people have been bailed pending further inquires, with two people cautioned.

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

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

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.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: "This was a major operation for the force and I am pleased with the results we achieved but of course the work continues.

"We are committed to making our towns and city centres safer and working with the public, parents and licensees we are determined to build upon the success of this operation by further reducing violent crime and giving people the confidence to enjoy their town centres without fear of being assaulted."

The operation was supported by Greater Manchester Police's Think safe, Drink safe campaign to encourage sensible drinking. It lets people know that they can go out and have fun but should also keep safe by sticking together with friends, pacing their drinks and planning their journeys home.

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 number of prisoners, and local authority partners also took to the town centres undertaking additional compliance checks.