Hundreds arrested as 20 weapons taken off the streets in latest crackdown

322 people were arrested and 19 knives seized from the streets of Greater Manchester as part of Sceptre, a national initiative to tackle knife crime.

Sceptre, which took place 19-25 May, saw Greater Manchester Police (GMP) join forces with police across England and Wales in a coordinated crackdown on knife crime.

As part of the week, officers across Greater Manchester executed 28 warrants and carried out a wide range of activity, including weapon sweeps, school inputs and knife arches.

Policing cannot tackle knife crime alone, and officers were grateful for the support from partner organisations who joined them during the week to help raise awareness of knife crime, protect people from serious violent crime and make the streets safer.

During the week, 20 weapons were taken off the streets by Greater Manchester Police, including a large sword which had been discovered by a member of the public in Tameside, a machete and large zombie knife, which were seized by officers in Middleton during searches.

On Tuesday 20 May, Commander Stephen Clayman, national lead for knife crime, visited Greater Manchester to see first-hand how officers from Operation Venture, GMP’s specialised resource to tackling serious violence, are dealing with knife crime.

During his visit, Commander Clayman was deployed to North Manchester where he joined officers on a visit to a shop selling household knives. He also accompanied officers in Harpurhey on a pursuit of two males in connection to recent knife point robberies. Enquiries are ongoing.

Other activity during the week of action also included visits to retail premises that have knives for sale as officers advised staff on the best way to store these and the policies for selling them.

Sceptre - Tameside patrols. Credit: Greater Manchester Police

Detective Inspector Roger Edwards said: “The results from Sceptre highlight the relentless work that officers, staff and partners are doing to tackle knife crime and prevent violence.

“We understand that it is deeply concerning to hear about people being injured or killed by knives, but carrying a knife doesn’t make you any safer and can put you more at risk. A knife usually makes a situation much worse, and as we have sadly seen, the consequences can be devastating.

“We all have a part to play in preventing knife crime, whether that is talking to people in your family about the dangers of it, stopping yourself from carrying a knife, or seeking help if you know somebody who carries or is hiding a knife.

“Rest assured that our work doesn’t end here; activity is taking place across Greater Manchester every single day to tackle knife crime. From targeting knife crime hotspots within the community, to using stop search where appropriate, conducting weapon sweeps, knife arches, and undertaking covert and overt policing deployments, we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to stop knife crime from destroying lives.”

Sceptre - Tameside patrols. Credit: Greater Manchester Police

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “It was great to see first-hand just how robust and determined Greater Manchester Police are when it comes to taking knives off our streets.

“Through Operation Venture and our Violence Reduction Unit we are taking a proactive approach to tackling knife crimes and making our communities safe. Working with partners we will always listen to the concerns of residents and make safe neighbourhoods a top priority.”

To report someone who is carrying or hiding a knife, report to police via LiveChat at www.gmp.police.uk, or by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Young people can also pass on information anonymously to Fearless, part of Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting fearless.org. There is also lots of help and support available on the website.