Operation Venture in Stockport: Seizing cars, recovering drugs and dismantling OCG’s in hotspot blitz

Greater Manchester Police’s dedicated team tasked with tackling serious youth violence once again deployed to the Stockport district for the middle two weeks of January 2024.

The deployments contained 14 days of intense patrols from Operation Venture who supports the work of the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) – a multi-agency team that seeks to prevent violence by addressing the underlying causes.

With officers embedding themselves in the area it ensures a heightened and more proactive response to keep the local community safe.

This has been evidenced through the results delivered:

• 20 arrests
• 17 positive stop and searches 
• 29 intelligence submissions
• £5,000 cash seized
• £20,000 street value worth of Class A & B drugs removed
• Two knives recovered
• Three weapon sweeps of parks and open areas linked to crime
• Four arrest attempts of wanted offenders with one being for serious assault

A team made up of two sergeants and nine officers used a mix of covert and high-visibility tactics to tackles offenders in the act and make a sizeable impact of reducing serious violence on the streets of Stockport.

Examples of positive work included, officers sighting a vehicle driving erratically around Reddish where a routine check was authorised and stopped due to police instinct. As they approached, drugs could be seen in the vehicle and a 52-year-old man was arrested in connection with the offences after a search uncovered more drugs as well as the driver showing he had no insurance or licence.

Whilst in Brinnington, officers witnessed a man paying close attention to high-visibility patrols. With covert officers close-by, he has been seen on the phone on more than one occasion shortly after a patrol drive round. A vehicle arrives and intelligence suggests the occupants may be in possession of weapons and drugs linked to a local organised crime gang. They were subsequently detained and following a further detailed search a large amount of Class A drugs were found in addition to a mobile phone linked to the supply and distribution of drugs along with a sizeable amount of cash. Three men, aged 21, 22 and 23 were all arrested in connection pending further enquiries where additional evidence was retrieved from house searches, with one back in custody less than 12 hours from being released on bail for unrelated driving and burglary offences.

Other information highlighted the use of stolen mopeds to commit knife point and violent robberies in Edgeley, Brinnington and Reddish South. Whilst proactive patrols were introduced to offer reassurance, covert officers sighted a vehicle in Shaw Heath with no insurance and was known to have links to drug dealing to an organised crime gang. Following further searches, Class B drugs were recovered, a phone and cash over £1,000. Again, all three aged between 20 and 22 were arrested on suspicion with intent to supply.

Later in the week, a report of a man came in, standing at a bus stop wearing a rolled-up balaclava paying attention to uniformed officers. As trained behavioural detection officers, further investigation showed he was acting in a suspicious manner. As they came closer, he ran but was later subject to stop and search and found to be in possession of a large kitchen knife. The 20-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a bladed article and taken into custody where he was later charged with the offence.

When back in Brinnington, patrols sighted a Mercedes vehicle driving with no lights illuminated. Officers stopped it and conducted routine checks on the driver who was shown to be wanted for two offences relating to domestic violence and had been outstanding since November 2023. The 48-year-old was arrested as a result and remanded in custody ahead of his court appearance with the vehicle being seized due to no insurance.

This ongoing impactful work was showcased even more towards the end of the fortnight of intensification when another vehicle driving erratically was sighted and contravening a no entry sign before failing to stop at a red light. The vehicle was pulled over on St Mary’s Way where the driver and passenger were spoken to. As a result, a lawful stop and search was done resulting in the recovery of suspected Class A drugs.

The two suspects then began to fight with officers with one pushing an officer to the floor and making off on foot in possession of the bag of drugs. Whilst officers gave chase the second suspect attacked further but was subdued and taken to the floor where he was arrested and placed in handcuffs.

Meanwhile more patrols made to the officer chasing on foot, which led through unlit alleyways. One managed to head off the suspect and drew his taser due to his violent behaviour. The man later surrendered and was arrested, but no drugs were found resulting in a search of the location and retrace of the route taken where a large amount of suspected Class A drugs were found in a wheelie bin along with a large quantity of cash in an alleyway.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply of both Class A drugs, money laundering and assaulting emergency workers. It later transpired they were heavily linked to drug dealing from an organised crime gang.

House searches were conducted where officers sighted a person of interest linked to a county lines operation where upon being detained and searched, coming violent in the process, was found to have over 50 wraps of Class A drugs on his person. A second person was also stop searched by a district patrol and found in possession of a small amount of Class A drugs and was arrested as well.

The remaining four officers continued to the house search address and were met by the occupant opening the door whilst in possession of a knife. He was immediately detained and surrendered the knife.

A search of the house recovered another large amount of Class A drugs, cash, phones, and debt list. He was arrested and later transpired he was a part of the same organised crime gang in the supply of illegal drugs.

The three connected incidents resulted in five arrests of four men and one woman aged between 19 and 36, seeing the recovery of a large amount of drugs and cash meaning it disrupted a criminal network in the Shaw Heath area of Stockport in the process.

Inspector Jon Ezard of GMP’s Operation Venture team said; “Our hotspot networks across our districts again goes to show our work is vital in disrupting criminal networks and people intent on blatantly committing crime in communities.

“Our work doesn’t stop or come without risk though and we will continue our patrols, which includes Stockport, on a more regular and frequent basis to ensure we can contain any further incidents whilst in the act.

“On most occasions our instinct takes over a what some may see as a routine stop eventually unravels into something wider and more serious.

“This kind of work by our dedicated officers goes to show how determined we are to bring offenders to justice as we know the devastating impact crime has on communities in the local area.”