Specialist officers put burglary-busting techniques into sixth gear on Greater Manchester’s roads

Sometimes, criminals decide to do things the hard way and think they can outrun the police, but GMP’s Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit (TVIU) are on hand utilising their specialist training to drive down crime across Greater Manchester.

TVIU officers move as a pack, hunting down organised criminals and opportunistic thieves who blatantly use Greater Manchester’s roads to commit their crimes.

Now more than ever, there is a real need for the unit. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and the roads are utilised to commit crime in Greater Manchester, making it easy for them to get out of the region fast.

But regardless of where crime is committed, GMP have robust resources in place to put an end to criminals’ fun and make arrests, whether this be in Greater Manchester or across our borders in neighbouring forces.

Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit fleet

In the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, specialist teams of officers cover an area of nearly 500 square-miles and they are well-equipped to deal with this distance. Proactive in their approach to tackling crime, they are always looking out for those on the run through intelligence from ANPR and live-time information which comes in from their colleagues in the control room who proactively flag up stolen vehicles and recent burglaries in the region.

The team uses a fleet of both marked and unmarked high-performance vehicles which are capable of reaching high speeds, enabling the officers to implement specialist tactics to bring pursuits to a stop.  These vehicles are driven by experienced advanced trained drivers who are also trained in Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC). 

Since the start of the year (January 2024), the unit have arrested 101 individuals for offences which include murder, burglary, robbery, possession of weapons, possession of controlled drugs, prison recalls and handling stolen goods. In this same period, the team have recovered in excess of £1.6 million worth of stolen vehicles which have been returned to their rightful owners. The unit have pursued a number of suspects in a real life game of cops and robbers, an age old tale in GMP where the robbers always lose and the cops always win.

Team of Tactical Vehicle Interceptor Unit officers

In addition to this, the TVIU have conducted 87 stop searches which have led to the recovery of approximately £200k of controlled drugs and £19k in cash.  The team have also removed 71 uninsured vehicles from our roads.

In the last couple of weeks, the unit have been busy utilising their skills resulting in several arrests whilst they keep the roads of Greater Manchester safe.

On the 16 February officers from TVIU were out on patrol across Greater Manchester in what would be another successful night shift for the team, resulting in the arrest of a suspected burglar in the early hours of the morning. Officers witnessed a Peugeot 3008 travelling at high speeds and after it failed to stop for police, officers embarked on a pursuit down Bury New Road in Prestwich. A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Last Friday (23 February 2024), two suspected burglars were arrested after a spate of burglaries in the Heywood area. On seeing the officers, the suspects abandoned their vehicle and attempted to run away however, they were quickly tackled to the ground by the pursuing officers, yet again proving the lengths the TVIU officers will go to bring individuals before the courts.

Just yesterday (28 February 2024), officers put a dent in suspected car thieves’ ambitions when a lorry driver acting suspiciously was spotted in Shaw.  After stopping the vehicle, officers were led straight to a compound situated just off Sumner Street where they uncovered a ‘chop shop’. Seven men between the ages of 24 and 55 were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, handling stolen goods, possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply and going equipped to steal. 

Inspector Danny Kabal of GMP’s Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, said: “The officers on the TVIU are some of the most skilled drivers in the force. They are trained to the highest standards and are equipped to deal with the most challenging situations to reduce risk and keep our public safe.

“The vast bulk of our work involves managing pursuits or preventing them from occurring in the first place. That said, just because a criminal isn’t using a vehicle to commit crime, does not mean that we will not target them. 

“We regularly support proactive detectives with tackling serious crime across the North West region and we also support our district colleagues and partners with tackling more localised criminality.   

“Greater Manchester Police recognise the importance and value of the unit in tackling organised crime across the force and significant investment has been made to ensure we can continue with this momentum.      

“The public rightfully expect us to build on our successes to date and continue targeting organised criminals and make their lives miserable, which is exactly what we will do.”