14 teenage boys were arrested on suspicion of Violent Disorder following an outbreak of violence late yesterday evening on St Lawrence Street, in the St Georges area of Manchester.
Police arrived to find a large number of youths with weapons.
Another teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and all remain in police custody for questioning.
Inspector Richard Flannagan of GMP’s City of Manchester district said: “We have made over a dozen arrests last night and I hope this shows our commitment to tackling criminals and keeping the streets of Greater Manchester safe and shows that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in our communities.
“Alongside the arrests, a number of dangerous weapons have been seized and removed off the streets, as well as a quantity of drugs, this is a step in the right direction. Seven more knives taken off our streets means a number of lives can be saved from violent crime.
“These arrests and weapon seizures are exactly the sorts of results we want to deliver and what our communities expect from us.
“Sadly, some people think it’s normal to carry a knife and we need communities to pull together and challenge that behaviour. It is fortunate no one was injured, this could have been a very different story, and this is a very fitting opportunity to appeal to the public; if you know someone is carrying a knife, you can direct them to one of our Forever Amnesty bins, which are permanently located in local police stations around Manchester for people to deposit knives and other bladed weapons without fear of prosecution.
“Our focus will continue to remain on robust action towards those who we suspect of being involved in violent crime to keep our communities safe.”
