Crime down in Greater Manchester

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins

There were more than 16,000 fewer victims of crime in Greater Manchester between October 2010 and September 2011, new figures have shown.

Incidents of crime fell from 234,028 to 217,499, meaning that there were 16,529 fewer victims.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: "We continue to listen to what our communities are telling us and remain committed to delivering the results that they want.

"For example, when metal thefts were increasing, thefts which included local churches being targeted and in extreme cases plaques being stolen from cemeteries, we launched Operation Alloy which has proactively disrupted the activities of criminals.

"There are fewer victims of each type of criminal offence, which means that people can feel safer and criminals are finding it harder to operate.

"Initiatives such as Operation Audacious, which targeted drug dealers in Manchester, are examples of proactive police work that disrupt the activities of criminals and shows people that we are tackling the issues that cause real harm.

"This significant reduction comes in spite of reductions in our budget which continue to add pressure to the force and a number of high profile challenges including the disorder of August 2011.

"But what these figures show is that on a daily basis the priorities of the force have not changed because we believe that reducing crime is the most effective way we can continue to help our communities feel safe."

Headline figures; comparing October 2010 to September 2011 with October 2009 to September 2010. 

• 771 fewer victims of robbery, representing a 14% drop.
• 2324 fewer victims of burglary, representing a 7% drop.
• 2252 fewer victims of violence against the person, representing a 5% drop.
• 5992 fewer victims of offences against vehicles, representing a 20% drop.
• 445 fewer victims of fraud and forgery, representing a 5% drop.
  The rate of detections for crimes was 27.1%, an increase of 1.5%. 

Operation Alloy, a force-wide initiative to reduce metal thefts and bring offenders to justice, was launched after metal theft offences peaked in May 2011 to 870. By December 2011 there were 540 less offences (a drop of 62%).