GMP welcomed Angela Eagle MP to Bury Town Centre on Wednesday morning to see the work being done in conjunction with the force’s blitz on ASB.
The Home Office Minister shadowed a local neighbourhood policing operation which comes as part of the department’s Safer Streets Summer Initiative – known as Safe4Summer in Greater Manchester.
This work forms a dedicated crackdown on anti-social behaviour (ASB) in communities and town centres, providing greater visibility through direct work with partners in hotspot areas.
Numerous hotspots were identified through analysis of areas that have been repeat demand-generators in the force area, and compiled for specific targeting by teams.
The Minister discussed the work being done with representatives from the local council, their town centre security teams, Bury’s Chief Inspector Michael Barton, and the Superintendent across the initiative.
This included a walk through the heart of the town centre, a visit to a business and discussion about how officers enforce the appropriate legislation, along with a visit to the Sir Robert Peel Statue – the founder of modern British policing.
The Safe4Summer initiative has already seen great successes – including 239 arrests for offences including ASB, retail crime, and violent offences since its launch at the end of June.
In addition, there has been more than 1,000 stop-searches, and thousands of policing hours dedicated to the hotspots.
Dame Angela Eagle said: “We want high streets across the country to be places where people can feel safe, enjoy themselves and where local shops can succeed. This is why we have launched a summer blitz on crime in over 500 town centres nationwide, including in Bury.
“It was fantastic to see how Greater Manchester Police are working hard to deter shop theft, anti-social behaviour and other town centre crime across the region, and I want to pay my personal thanks to all the officers who protect our high streets.
“I was especially impressed with the exemplary work I saw going on in Bury to keep the high street safer, free of crime and antisocial behaviour. The local police with their partners are doing a great job.
“Through our Safer Streets Summer Initiative and our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we’re putting officers back on our streets to do what they do best. We’re making our town centres safer with 3,000 extra neighbourhood officers and PCSOs in communities nationwide by next April.”
Superintendent Jen Kelly, from GMP’s Safe4Summer team, said: “We understand and acknowledge the frustrations that ASB can cause people as they go about their lives, and the Safer Streets Initiative is a project we are fully backing.
“Officers across every district are targeting hotspots the public has told us about, tackling everything from nuisance e-bikes to drug-dealing, street drinking, and other issues, every single day.
“Their proactive approach over the summer months will be focusing on getting those people off the streets and engaging with our communities to enhance our knowledge on exactly where we are needed. We want to be able to reassure communities – from business owners to residents – that we are fully backing them and will help them wherever possible.”
