Greater Manchester Police cut crime

Date published: 29/04/2006

Greater Manchester Police is continuing to cut crime across the county, with burglary dropping over 34 per cent in the last two years, according to figures released today on Thursday 27 April 2006.

Between April 2005 and March 2006, compared to the same period in 2003/2004, crime has fallen significantly in Greater Manchester, figures show:

· A 34.9 per cent drop in burglary, with 13,189 fewer victims
· A decrease of 15.9 per cent for robbery offences, 1,462 fewer victims
· A cut of 10.7 per cent for vehicle crime, 6,346 less victims
· A 2.8 per cent decrease in violent crime, 1,825 fewer offences
· A 16.4 per cent reduction in life-threatening and gun crime offences, 662 less victims
· 10.4 per cent cut in total crime, 38,332 fewer offences

GMP, along with its partner agencies, has also brought a total of 73,093 offences to justice (between January 2004 and December 2005), which is more than 200 offences per day, over 30 per cent above the target for this period.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Dave Jones said: "These figures show just how far GMP has come in the last two years and clearly demonstrates the commitment of our officers, staff and partners in reducing crime and bringing more offenders to justice.

"A number of high-profile operations and campaigns, including Operations Hawk, Xcalibre and Magpie, which tackle robbery, gun crime and domestic burglary respectively, are all key to these successes.

"In addition, over the last few months, extra resources have been focused on tackling the problems of alcohol related disorder, anti-social behaviour and youth nuisance, as we believe that this is something that affects our communities the most. This targeted action will continue throughout the year, in order to help put respect back on the streets.

"Significant efforts have also been made to reduce gun crime in the area, and the success and determination of our staff can clearly been seen in the results that we have achieved.

"With the continued support of our partners and local communities, we will be able to further the fight against crime and prevent many more thousands of people from becoming victims. This year's budget cuts, mean that it will be a challenging year, however I can assure people that GMP will do everything it can to meet and exceed our targets. We are committed to
tackling the issues which affect the people we serve."

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