Arrests of top tier organised crime suspects increased by 69% in last year, as GMP and partners launch city-region's first published drugs strategy

We’ve taken a significant step in tackling the devastating impact of illegal substances across Greater Manchester by launching the city-region’s first published multi-agency drugs strategy on Monday 7 October 2024.

GMP and partners launch drugs strategy at event at MMU on Monday

The illegal drug market impacts people in communities across GM; such as victims of drug-related crime, victims of drug-related deaths, vulnerable people criminally exploited by drugs gangs, communities suffering anti-social behaviour (ASB), or users experiencing addiction and poor mental health.

It is responsible for a large amount of organised crime across our towns – leading to violence, ASB, criminal exploitation, and further criminality – and we also recognise the harm it has on people’s health and wider society.

The work of the Programme Challenger partnership in the last decade has already seen well-established partnership working across the city-region which has helped prevent crime, protect victims, and prepare communities targeted by organised crime.

We have already increased arrests within the top tiers of GM’s organised crime groups by 69% in the last year, and our work to drive down drug supply, target criminal gangs, and tackle associated violence will continue through our proactive, crime-fighting approach that is helping to keep communities safe.

As an example, we launched an operation specifically to deal with the increasing threat of drug purchases being made online and then delivered via the postal system. Since that launch, we have made 75 arrests and recovered of 1181 kilos of cannabis, 32kg of cocaine, 11kg of crystal meth and a kilo of amphetamine.

The proactive partnership approach announced on Monday at Manchester Metropolitan University by Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, Mayor Andy Burnham, and Deputy Mayor Kate Green, aims to keep communities safer by disrupting supply chains, tackling gangs, and protecting vulnerable people. This was launched alongside the 2024 GM Trends report led by Manchester Metropolitan University, which examines patterns and trends around drug use across the city-region.

Working more closely with partners in this endeavour, we hope to contribute to reductions in drug-related deaths, drug-related crime, and the number of drug users needing treatment.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said, “We are wholeheartedly confident that our multi-agency approach announced today will keep communities and individuals safer in many ways.

“We are already proactively targeting, disrupting, and dismantling drugs gangs regularly that thrive off the vulnerability of others and plague communities with illicit substances, but this strategy also looks to address the wider impact of drugs on society.

“Our partnerships with other agencies and drug experts regularly assist us with informing our activity, particularly when it comes to prevention, and we are now looking to expand on that further.

“The public should expect that we will continue to make arrests and seizures, but also that we will be much more active in diverting people away from using drugs in the first place, aiming to put a stop to the supply and demand.”

ACC Chris Sykes speaks to partners on Monday 7 October 2024

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities said, “Illegal drugs cause significant harm for people in Greater Manchester – from drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour, to impacts on mental health, addiction, and in some cases tragic loss of life.

“That’s why we are tackling illegal drugs with a unique public health approach. We will go after harmful dealers, support individuals with dependencies through treatment and care services, and focus enforcement on those whose drug use leads to crime or anti-social behaviour.

“This is about being smart on drugs by putting people at the centre, providing support and opportunities rather than criminalising people unnecessarily. It’s about people in our city-region living well, through improved wellbeing, greater success, skills, and employment.

“And we are able to do this because of the strong partnerships we have across the whole Greater Manchester system, including local authorities, police, NHS, probation services, and the Violence Reduction Unit – and through devolution, which enables more effective and targeted interventions.”

Rob Ralphs, Professor of Criminology and Social Policy at Manchester Metropolitan University, said, “We’re proud to have launched our latest findings from the GM TRENDS report alongside Greater Manchester Police’s new Drug Strategy.

"Our findings highlight the emerging trends of drug use in the city region, and through our robust partnerships in Greater Manchester will help to inform the development of harm reduction policies and the delivery of targeted services to support local communities including developing a better understanding for new markets such as THC vapes and ketamine.”

You can view the drugs strategy here and GM Trends report here.