Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Tuesday 8th April 2025 at 06:45hrs
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has announced significant successes in its ongoing fight against crime, reporting a substantial 7.2% reduction in overall crime over the past 12 months compared to the previous year.
This equates to approximately 25,000 fewer crimes committed and a remarkable 18,735 fewer victims – meaning over 50 fewer people are becoming victims of crime each day across the region.
The positive figures highlight notable decreases in key areas of concern for local communities. Burglaries have seen a significant drop, with 350 fewer incidents occurring each month compared to 2021.
Vehicle crime has also experienced a substantial reduction, contributing to the overall decrease.
Furthermore, GMP has demonstrated significant improvement in its response times to emergency calls.
The force is now one of the best in the country for answering 999 calls, with an average response time of just 2 seconds, a dramatic improvement from the 47-second average recorded in May 2021.
Speaking on his recent BBC Radio Manchester appearance, GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson reiterated the force’s commitment to justice, stating that officers “will do all we can to bring people to justice.”
A key element of GMP’s success is the renewed focus on neighbourhood policing.
Since Chief Constable Watson announced his vision for this approach two years ago, the force has deployed around 670 dedicated Neighbourhood Police Officers at Constable rank.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, GMP’s lead for Local Policing, expressed his satisfaction with the results.
“It is hugely satisfying to see significant reductions in neighbourhood crime and that GMP is delivering results for our communities,” he said.
“At the same time as reducing crime volume, we have also seen increases in the rates of crime being solved.”
While acknowledging the positive progress, ACC Boyle emphasized that there is still more work to be done.
“We are under no illusion that there is still much more to do to keep driving these reductions,” he stated.
“These statistics are evidence of GMP’s commitment to neighbourhood policing and are a credit to the work of our neighbourhood policing teams in identifying and solving problems as well as the dedicated neighbourhood crime team, who work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”
Recent weeks have seen a continuation of this proactive approach. Operation Vulcan, which has already yielded positive results, has now been extended into Oldham, targeting issues in the Derker area that have been highlighted by the local community.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, targeted police action has led to tangible results. In Trafford, officers in Sale arrested a suspected car thief at the weekend, while several off-road bikes were seized in Carrington and Partington.
A similar operation in Wigan also resulted in the seizure of off-road bikes.
Furthermore, the vital role of community intelligence was highlighted in Bolton, where neighbourhood officers uncovered a cannabis farm following a tip-off from the public.
These successes underscore the daily efforts of GMP’s neighbourhood officers, who are actively engaging with communities across Greater Manchester to understand and address local concerns.
The latest crime statistics provide a clear indication that this relentless focus on proactive policing and community engagement is having a significant and positive impact on the safety and well-being of residents across the region.
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