Peter Fahy: ‘Thank you for support’

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, has thanked the “amazing people of Greater Manchester” for their support following the disorder in Manchester and Salford on Tuesday night.

He added that there wasn't any significant disorder last night (Wednesday 10 August) and the importance now is to put the criminals responsible before the courts.

He said: “The messages of support from residents, shoppers and businesses have been truly overwhelming. We have received countless messages of support and offers of help from people on social networking sites.

"My officers have also been approached by people in the street thanking them for the job they are doing. One resident even handed over a cake and some sweets to officers as a token of her appreciation. And these are not isolated incidents this support has been seen across Greater Manchester.

"We have received tremendous support from police colleagues around the country who supported us last night, and businesses that have allowed staff to work as Special Constables.”

He continued: "However, it is important people know we will not stop until we have put people before the courts and our streets are safe. The hard work of dedicated officers and staff from Greater Manchester Police continues.

"We had a substantial number of officers on duty throughout the night and this, together with the rain, contributed to an evening in which there was no significant disorder.

"My officers have once again demonstrated their total commitment to the job, working long hours to ensure our streets are safe. They have worked throughout the night to deal with individuals arrested, a number of whom have already been jailed.

"So far we have made 147 arrests and we will be making more. This is a significant investigation and we will continue to release images of those who have been caught on CCTV committing criminal acts on our streets.

"Our commitment has been matched by our colleagues in the criminal justice system that dealt with offenders and fast-tracked them through the courts. We have put more than 70 people through the courts already and many more will be sent there today.

"The people of Greater Manchester want to help us to identify the people who have been responsible for bringing these shameful scenes to our streets. They want to help us ensure that these criminals are brought to justice. We continue to receive hundreds of images through Twitter and Facebook and we are working through these."