Greater Manchester Police made 671 arrests across the force this past weekend, an increase of almost 15% compared to the same period last year.
These arrests fall under the ongoing Winter of Action campaign, known locally as ‘Operation North Star’, as we look to place a focus on retail crime, violence against women and girls (particularly domestic abuse and the night-time economy), street crime and anti-social behaviour particularly during the campaign, which runs until 31 January 2026. Following these arrests, charges have been secured through tireless investigative work for a wide range of offences including assault, criminal damage, harassment and theft.
GMP’s neighbourhood policing lead, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, said: “The weekend before Christmas is typically one of our busiest nights for the force and this year was no exception.
“We had a robust policing plan in place with a no-tolerance stance on criminality and leading into the weekend, we vowed to our communities that we would arrest those coming into our cities and towns to commit crime.
“That’s exactly what my officers have done with arrests relating to key concerns for our communities including possession of drugs, shoplifting, stalking and harassment, and public order offences. With these arrests, we have also continued to ensure our victims are at the forefront of our minds with more charges, out-of-court disposals and positive outcomes for them.
“We are also continuing our focus to be one of the leading forces under the ‘neighbourhood guarantee’, to increase public confidence in policing and enhance the capability and capacity of the neighbourhood policing workforce to address anti-social behaviour (ASB) and focus on crime prevention.
“The work that our officers have put into this weekend and continue to do every single day; shows our communities that we are here for you – to investigate and solve crime, to respond to incidents and emergencies, and to protect our communities from harm.”
