Specialist units
Road Policing
Vehicles
The Motorway unit currently operates a number of different vehicles consisting of a fleet of liveried four-wheel drive vehicles - BMW X5's and Range Rovers. Also liveried Volvo V70's T5's and a number of unliveried vehicles for Traffic Enforcement.
Control Room
The Motorway Control Room is situated at Trafford Area operations room attached to Chester House Force HQ and deals with calls from members of the public and deploys Motorway Police Patrols to incidents where necessary and co-ordinates the work of other agencies.
The Emergency Telephone Boxes are linked straight to a control room where officers also control the CCTV cameras which are situated along the majority of the motorway network The Control Room also controls the variable message boards and matrix signs which can display speed restrictions and lane closures.
Contact Telephone Numbers
Control Room: 0161 872 5050
Area 6 RPU: Birch Post, 0161 856 8361
Area 7 RPU: Peel Green, 0161 856 4756
The Motorway Unit is responsible for policing the following roads:
- A627(M)
- A666 Saint Peters Way, Bolton
- M6 between junctions 22 (Cheshire Border) to junction 27 (Lancashire Border)
- M56 Between junction 1 (Princess Parkway) to border with Cheshire near to junction 6
- M58 from M6 for 1 km to the Lancashire Border
- M60 (Including link between junction 18 and junction 12 of the M62)
- M602
- M62 Between junction 22 (West Yorkshire Border) to junction 11 (Border with Cheshire)
- M61 from Junction 1 to the border with Lancashire near to junction 6
- M66
- M67.
The role of the motorway officer is to:
- Patrol 450.7 km (281 miles) of Motorway
- Prevent and detect criminality on the motorway network
- Enforcements of road traffic regulations
- Including inter-agency operations: - Customs, Vehicle Inspectorate, RSPCA etc.
- Assist neighbouring motorway units and local sub divisions
- Attend all Road Traffic Collisions
- Report and Investigate all Injury and Fatal Road Traffic Collisions
- Assist vulnerable motorists
Respond immediately to all incidents in the carriageway such as:
- Debris in carriageway
- Animals on the motorway
- Broken down vehicles
- Collisions
- Pedestrians on motorway
- Potential suicides on bridges etc.
Highways Agency Traffic Officers
Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs) commenced patrol of GMPs motorway network in January 2006. They are authorised under the Traffic Management Act (2004) to stop and direct traffic on those roads managed bythe Highways Agency on motorway and All Purpose Trunk Roads (APTR). The introduction of HATO's will assist GMP Strategic Road Policing Officers with their objectives of targeting criminal use of the roads, reducing road casualties, providing community reassurance through visible road patrolling and reducing vehicle related anti-social behaviour.
Unit Responsibilities
GMP's Motorway Unit is made up by two of the Strategic Road Policing Units, Area 6, based at Birch services and Area 7 at Eccles:
- Area 6 - Strategic Road Policing Unit (RPU)
- Area 6 RPU is responsible for policing the northern half of Manchester's Motorway network, which includes the M6.
The unit is based at Birch Services on the Eastbound M62 situated between junction 18 and 19.
Area 7 - Strategic Road Policing Unit (RPU)
Area 7 RPU is responsible for policing the southern half of Manchester's Motorway Network, which includes shared responsibility for the M6.
The unit is based at the new Traffic Network Headquarters at Peel Green, Eccles, situated just of junction 11 of the M60.
