Arrests up by 65% as stop-searches increase and 999 answer times hit one second

Our pledge to bring more suspects into custody has seen us increase arrests by over 65% in the last year alone, as well as searching over 10,000 vehicles and people in our continued bid to combat crime.

Between August 2021 and August 2022, we upped our use of stop-and-search by around 20% and our proactivity will only continue to increase to help keep people and our streets safe.

While our use of these powers has gone up – with almost 11,500 vehicles and people being searched by our officers across Greater Manchester in the last year – we are working really hard to do this in a professional, proportionate, and respectful way as we carry out this important type of disruption activity.

It is therefore important for us that while searches are up 20%, the number of complaints we have received from those we have searched has gone down 40% over that same 12-month period.

We continue to see one in four searches result in positive action – such as making an arrest or seizing drugs and weapons – meaning more suspects are being brought into the criminal justice system, and more drugs and weapons are being taken away from our streets.

More suspected burglars are also being brought to custody with arrests up 70% since the introduction of Operation Castle – our commitment to ensuring we attend every residential burglary.

We are dedicated to ensuring we are preventing crime by being out in our communities, being proactive, and listening to the information that you are providing us.

We are also doing all we can to be there in your time of need by picking up the phone more quickly, getting to your emergencies more quickly, and exploring all viable lines of enquiry to guarantee you receive the best possible service from us.

Last week, call handlers in our Force Control Centre hit the milestone of answering 999 calls in one second – down from an average of 89 seconds a year ago.

We’re now one of the top ten fastest forces in the country for picking up the phone to you when you need us, and the overall best performing force of those with an average call volume greater than 30,000 per week.