Police spring clean clears out 879 criminals

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Greater Manchester Police arrested 879 burglars, robbers and thieves and seized almost £200k in cash from criminals last week (7-13 March) in its latest purge on crime.

Officers carried out 201 raids on properties of suspected criminals to search for stolen goods over the last week.

In 20 of the raids they confiscated £195,074 in cash from suspects under the Proceeds Of Crime Act (POCA) legislation. POCA allows officers to seize cash in excess of £1,000 that they believe has been made from or will be used to fund criminal activity.

Officers also joined forces with trading standards and environmental health officers to make spot checks on124 second hand shops to ensure that they were not handling stolen goods and were complying with regulations relating to keeping full records of transactions.

Similar crackdowns over the last year have helped police to reduce burglaries, robberies and vehicle thefts by 18.6 per cent in the 12 months to the end of February this year when compared to the same period the previous year. This equates to 11, 037 fewer people falling victim to theft crimes. Burglary has gone down 9.4 per cent and vehicle crime down 24 per cent over the same periods equating to 1,937 and 7,888 fewer victims respectively.

Officers have also been giving advice to people visiting DIY stores and supermarkets on how they can use burglar alarms, door and window locks and security lighting to decrease the chances of their homes being targeted by thieves.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney from Greater Manchester Police said: “Over the last year we have taken the fight to the criminals targeting them in their homes, on the street and in their communities.

“These latest crime figures underline the success of these tactics.

“I can assure the people of our county and criminals alike that there will be no let up in this level of enforcement activity over the coming year.”

Assistant Chief Constable Sweeney added: “People can help us to put criminals out of business by ensuring that they fit quality burglar alarms, door and window locks and security lighting in their homes.

“They can also help by refusing to buy goods that they believe may have been stolen and by reporting suspicious activity either directly to us on 0161 872 5050 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”