Crime watch on hardcore criminals

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Greater Manchester Police are watching 1,500 well-known criminals in a bid to get them back on the straight and narrow.

According to the Home Office, there are currently 1,500 prolific and priority offenders (PPOs) across the region, compared with 1,501 in 2005-6.

The numbers have fluctuated over the years, falling to 1,267 in 2006-7.

A PPO is a persistent offender and many are believed to have drug problems and commit crime to fuel their habit.

In 2004, the PPO programme, a cross-Government initiative, was launched. It is a crime-reduction programme focusing on cutting re-offending.

The main aims are to catch and convict offenders who commit most crime in the area, to rehabilitate and resettle PPOs, and prevent and deter re-offending by offering help to get lives back on track.

It is thought about 10 per cent of people are responsible for about half of all crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney said: “Our strategy on prolific offenders allows each of our divisions to identify prolific offenders according to the crimes that concern their communities the most. We target these offenders with help from our communities, who contact us directly or via the independent charity Crimestoppers.

“Further to that, we work closely with our partners to effectively prosecute them, and facilitate their rehabilitation.

“To facilitate this rehabilitation, we have the Spotlight programme where the integrated offender management works with the probation service, local authorities and the prison to reduce the harm that prolific offenders cause to our community .”

The Home Office said the PPO programme was successful in tackling a relatively small number of hard-core offenders who commit a disproportionate amount of crime in their communities.