Ten arrests made and six mopeds recovered as Stockport continues to see robbery reductions

Our neighbourhood crime team in Stockport are tackling the issue of moped thefts and robberies and have made ten arrests in the last week alone, in a bid to continue the positive reductions we have made in both robbery (7% down) and vehicle crime (37% down) offences in the first quarter of this year (1^st April – 18^th June 2024) in Stockport.

Of these ten arrests, a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged, and pleaded guilty at his first court appearance. He awaits sentencing. Two remain in police custody, and the other seven, all aged between 15 and 17, are on police bail whilst investigations are progressed.

We have recovered six stolen mopeds that have been needlessly vandalised due to the poor standard of riding.

The team are proactively tackling the problem, using covert tactics and support from specialist officers to track down those involved, arrest them, and recover stolen items.

We are determined to limit victimisation by those intent on stealing what doesn’t belong to them, but would ask owners of mopeds and other similar vehicles to be vigilant and ensure they are securing their bikes with disk locks or secure chains when leaving them unattended in public. Full crime prevention advice on this issue can be found on our website here: Protect your motorcycle, moped or scooter from theft | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)

Detective Sergeant Matt Tarr said, “We are really pleased that the work we are doing to tackle robberies and thefts is continuing to see positive results, and that we are still seeing reductions in overall offending, despite this recent series over the last couple of weeks.

“Our investigations into the offences identified are ongoing, and we are using all tactics and lines of enquiry available to us to identify more people involved and build strong cases against suspects.

“We know that these offenders are primarily operating in groups, cowardly outnumbering victims, threatening them to steal their prized possessions.

“Whilst we have made arrests, we are continuing to appeal for anyone who has any information about the theft of mopeds, and subsequent robberies being committed by individuals using these bikes, to come forward and speak to us.

"This can be done by calling 101, reporting online on our website, or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone with CCTV, dash cam imagery or mobile phone footage which could help us.

"My final message is for the bullies committing such crimes - we know who you are and we will be relentless in our pursuit of you.”