52 arrests, £44k seized and one firearm removed from the streets: Operation AVRO delivers in Wigan
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A total of 52 arrests took place during Operation AVRO in Wigan yesterday (Thursday 23 May 2024) for a variety of offences including burglary, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, breaches of a court order, and possession of firearms.
Early morning warrants took place in Platt Bridge and Hindley Green, uncovering large amounts of cash, drugs and weapons.
A total of £44,000 was seized during the day of action, with one warrant uncovering a loaded firearm 30 rounds of ammunition and a silencer.
AVRO is a force-wide initiative that delivers a surge of extra resources and specialist officers to a different district within Greater Manchester each month.
The day saw GMP engage in a number of activities through proactive policework, tackling the issues which matter most to the community.
A traffic operation in Leigh resulted in a total of 163 offences being recorded, with 71 traffic offences, 40 speeding offences, one vehicle seizure and one arrest. Traders were stopped and spoken to by our partners at Wigan Trading Standards.
Joint premises visits were conducted with Trading Standards, with three businesses targeted resulting in 7,100 illegal cigarettes and 79 illegal vapes recovered, with a value of £3,000. 12 off licenses were visited in order to combat street drinking and illegal sales, with five license breaches recorded and high strength alcohol removed from sale.
Working to help inspire the next generation of community protectors, our mini police interviewed Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle at St Catherine’s C of E Primary School.
The mini police scheme, run by neighbourhood officers, sees children aged 8 to 10 from primary schools across Wigan engage in activities to build a strong relationship between the young people of Greater Manchester and the police.
The programme is designed to introduce children to the world of law enforcement and instead of traditional perceptions of the police, this programme aims to break down barriers within younger communities to establish a connection between young individuals and local officers which will create a positive attitude towards the role of police officers in society.
Our colleagues from the Tactical Mounted Unit provided a highly visible and reassuring presence throughout the day, focussing on hot spot areas and the Public Space Protection Order zone.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: “Operation AVRO is our force-wide operation which visits the 10 districts of Greater Manchester each month.
“Yesterday, our officers and staff deployed across Wigan in response to listening to the communities needs in regard to drug dealing, anti-social behaviour, burglary and many other issues that matter most to local people.
“We conducted several warrants in the area and throughout the day, through our roadside operations, multi-agency visits and engagements with local schools, ensuring a successful day of proactive policing activity across the district.”
What is Operation AVRO?
Operation AVRO is a force wide initiative that delivers extra resources and specialist officers to a different district within Greater Manchester each month and launched in Salford in October 2021.
Since then, it has travelled around the force with the operation targeting crimes and concerns that members of the public in that district have told GMP give them the most concern.
For more information, visit: Operation AVRO | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)
