Salford man jailed after running from cops with combat knife

A man from Salford has been jailed until next summer after officers from the city's taskforce tackling organised crime found a combat knife hidden in a bin after a foot chase in September.

Harishan Kannan (28/07/1999), of Eatham Way, Little Hulton, was sentenced to seven months in prison today (Friday 12 November) at Manchester Crown Court after last month admitting possession of a bladed article.

The conviction is the latest by detectives continuing to confront serious and organised criminals in Salford as part of Operation Naseby.

Kannan was rumbled on Tuesday 7 September this year when patrolling officers in Little Hulton came across him on an electric-assisted bike when he decided to jump off his bike and run from police while looking as though he was trying to get something out of his bag.

Officers chased the 22-year-old onto Moorland Drive where he ran into a front garden and disposed of a large combat knife and his bag in a bin before he was caught a short time later and arrested when the knife was discovered.

He proceeded to answer 'no comment' to all questions relating to the knife when in custody, before admitting the offence at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' on Friday 15 October.

Today, Kannan was ordered to serve seven months in custody.

It is the latest conviction as part of the Operation Naseby 'disruption hub', which has  been responsible for 240 arrests, 245 vehicle seizures, the recovery of over £500k worth of drugs, and has searched over 100 homes linked to individuals involved in crime.

Weapons recovered have included a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, a number of machetes and dozens of other knives and bladed articles.

Twenty-three people have been recalled to prison, and numerous other offenders have been convicted of a range of drug, driving, and firearms offences - including several targets from the outset of the operation.

Due to a backlog of court cases due to the pandemic, a number of further cases are currently waiting to be heard.

The anti-gang taskforce recently received an extra £95,000 of funding to continue the operation for at least the next six months.