Operation Vulcan liberates 30 members of the public from counterfeit shop in Cheetham Hill and seize around 60 tonnes of counterfeit goods

On Tuesday last week (6 December 2022), officers from Operation Vulcan rescued a group of 30 Christmas shoppers who had been left trapped inside a building in the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area.

Officers were conducting high visibility patrols in the area when they heard people inside shouting for help.

Officers forced entry under section 17 – an emergency warrant that is granted to preserve life – and rescued the group who were found huddled inside.

It transpired that one of the workers in the shop had been alerted by ‘spotters’ in the area – people who are paid to keep watch and alert illegitimate business owners of approaching police officers. This person had then locked the business and made good his escape, leaving members of the public trapped inside.

On rescuing the startled group, officers found an elderly lady among them who had a broken arm and needed assistance getting down the steep and narrow flight of stairs towards the exit.

Officers then searched the building and found a rabbit warren of single room shops selling counterfeit designer clothes, watches, electronics and various other items.

They set about bagging, tagging and seizing all the items within the building - a process that took over 5 days to complete owing to the sheer amount of counterfeit.

This police action forms the latest in Operation Vulcan’s mission to crackdown on the sale of counterfeit and hit the finances of the gangs operating out of the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area.

Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood said: “Our officers had a duty of care to force their way in and safeguard the individuals who had been trapped inside a building that was structurally unsound, utterly unsafe and from which they had absolutely no means of escape.

“I appreciate that at Christmas time everyone wants to find a bargain, but by going to these illegal shops in the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, consumers are not only funding criminality, they are also putting themselves in very real danger.

“This isn’t the first report we’ve heard of members of the public being locked in – sometimes for hours – and we’ve even received reports of customers being assaulted by staff.

“This latest seizure will make a dent in the finances of criminals but where Operation Vulcan will make the most impact is if members of the public start to shun these illegal businesses.

“They are bringing devastating harm to our communities and those running them have no regard for your safety or welfare.”