A day in the life: Swinton officers tackle crime on proactive patrol

Proactive patrols are a key part of what Greater Manchester Police officers do. Every day across every borough, officers will in some form be out and about engaging with local communities to protect, educate, and inform.

Swinton is no different and officers get out when they can to stop criminality where they find it – whether that’s through stop-searches, monitoring known repeat-offenders, or actively patrolling known hotspots.

On just one day this week, officers did all that and more as members of Swinton’s neighbourhood team patrolled the area to provide the police presence they know members of the public want.

Clifton Park, Swinton Shopping Centre, The Dam, and The Valley Estate were just some of the areas officers targeted in response to concerns regarding drugs, anti-social behaviour and off-road bikes.

During just one shift on patrol this week (Tuesday 30 May), officers:

• Stop-searched people suspected of drug offences
• Searched for off-road bikes and deterred those riding them from being on the streets
• Patrolled local parks to ensure families were able to enjoy themselves without anti-social disruption
• Talked to known offenders to keep tabs on their activities and provide appropriate advice
• Investigated suspicious vehicles and people who were in known criminal hotspots
• Gathered intelligence which will help with their work going forward

However, officers are more than keen to help wherever they can. While tackling crime and preventing it from happening is at the forefront of their activities, officers were keen to help Swinton’s residents in any way that presented itself.

In addition to the above, officers:

• Helped a local resident get a push-start as he moved his motorbike
• Moved debris which was blocking roads
• Spoke to young people and provided them advice on interacting with police and protecting themselves on the streets
• Explained any actions they were taking to inform people in the area

While the lists above are non-exhaustive and show just a several hours in the life of officers on proactive patrol, each day varies and officers will have to tackle everything and anything as part of our commitment to keeping Swinton and indeed Greater Manchester’s streets safe.

PC Jake Hart, from Swinton’s neighbourhood team, said: “Our proactive patrols change from day-to-day and no two days are alike. We have been particularly keen to focus on drugs in the area and our patrols recently have been targeting the hotspots we know offenders operate from.

“While we target criminals, we are there to serve the community and we are always up for a friendly chat with residents. If you ever need us, pop into the station, attend our PACT meetings, or follow our social media accounts for the latest events and activities.”

Details on anything in your area can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.