GMP steps up fight against robbers

Greater Manchester Police is stepping up the fight against robbers with a new scheme aimed at making the county safer.

Operating alongside GMP’s long-established Vanguard operation the ‘Safer Post Office Initiative’ sees a partnership with Post Office Ltd.

Police officers will work with subpostmasters to offer advice and guidance on security issues in order to deter criminals. Each branch will then be assessed and, if successful, will be accredited to the Safer Post Office Initiative.

This follows on from the Adopt a Post Office scheme which has been running for several years and sees each Post Office branch in Greater Manchester ‘twinned’ with their local police officer.

Detective Chief Inspector Pat McKelvey said: “Post offices are widely used by everyone from pensioners and families to local businesses and they provide us with an opportunity to make contact with a wide range of people from our communities.

“We already have close links with our post offices through the Adopt a Post Office scheme and understand the importance of working with the subpostmasters. They take security very seriously and already put in a significant amount of work to make sure that their business is secure, but we are hoping to take this even further and by offering advice and guidance, send out a clear message that post offices are not a place for criminals.

“As part of our wider Vanguard operation we use a variety of tactics to prevent armed robberies, including armed police vehicles escorting high-risk security vehicles as they carry out cash deliveries and patrol cars following cash-handling vehicles. Criminals can be assured that we are on their case and we won’t tolerate such activity in Greater Manchester.”