A campaign to prevent serious violence and knife crime in Trafford has been launched
Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Police have launched a series of initiatives to tackle knife crime in the borough as part of the ongoing Operation Sycamore campaign – GMP’s response to tackling serious violent crime, with a particular emphasis on knife crime. One of the aims of the operation is to understand the causes of knife crime, with a particular focus on the younger members of our communities.
The week of action, which takes place from Monday 20 January until Friday 24 January, will focus on promoting the initiatives which are aimed at preventing young people from getting involved in knife crime, largely through education and advice sessions. Staff from Trafford Trading Standards and GMP will be carrying out educational visits with retailers to advise them of the law and the consequences of knife sales to underage people.
The plan will also see council and police staff working with schools and the voluntary sector, visiting licensed premises and carrying out enforcement activities. Knife Arches, which are already being used in the borough, will this week be deployed at various key locations around the borough, and those wishing to surrender knives will be signposted to bins where the knives can be anonymously dropped.
Trafford is currently one of the safest places to live in Greater Manchester and the week of action will help ensure this continues to be the case.
The campaign kicked off with a press conference from Superintendent Caroline Hemingway, the District Commander for Trafford and Chair of The Safer Trafford Partnership, and Councillor Mike Freeman, Executive Member for Public Safety, Governance and Reform at Trafford Council.
Superintendent Hemingway said: “As Chair of The Safer Trafford Partnership, I am committed to ensuring that the borough remains a safe place for people to live, work and visit, and this proactive partnership approach is key to achieving that. Preventing and deterring violence through education, engagement diversion and increased opportunities for young people is our priority but we will also be resolute in tackling offenders who use violence to achieve their own ends.”
Councillor Freeman said: “We are proud that Trafford remains one of the safest places to live in the borough, but we will not be complacent about this. We will work with our partner agencies, our voluntary sector and with our communities to prevent violence from happening in the first place. We will also work with GMP to tackle and deter those who engage in violent conduct through proactive policing and enforcement.
“We are committed to working with GMP, taking a collaborative approach to crime reduction across the borough.”
Funding received from the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit has also enabled Trafford to develop a longer term approach, investing in services and initiatives for young people. The Violence Reduction Unit was set up in October 2019 with funding from the Home Office. It brings together GMP, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, National Probation Service, health and education professionals, youth justice and local authorities to address the underlying causes of violent crime and work together with communities to prevent it.
The week is co-ordinated by the Safer Trafford Partnership, which exists to reduce crime and the fear of crime by using a multi-agency action led approach, and to create and sustain inclusive, vibrant communities where people feel safe.
