Police welcome new online initiative

Greater Manchester Police has today welcomed a new online initiative that will allow communities to see the outcomes of criminal investigations.

In January 2011, the Home Office launched a crime mapping service on the police.uk website that gives users data about the number of street-level crimes recorded in any location across the UK.

From today, Thursday 31 May 2012 the site will now include details of what action police have taken following those crimes, including the information about the person charged and the final outcome at court.

Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: "Greater Manchester Police supports any initiative that increases transparency in the criminal justice system.

"This new feature of the police.uk website will give residents in our communities access to not only information about the number of street-level crimes in their area, but just as importantly what happens to those criminals who are responsible.

"Neighbourhood policing is at the heart of what Greater Manchester Police do and we welcome giving our residents more information about what we are doing to bring criminals to justice.

"It is important to point out that there will be a delay in many cases between the time a crime is recorded and the time the final outcome is available on the website due to the unpredictable length of time investigations can take."