Stockport town centre operation which saw 100+ charges returns for renewed crime-busting 'season'

Stockport’s town centre operation to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area has returned for a renewed schedule of crime-tackling work.

Yesterday (October 28), saw high-visibility proactive work as part of Operation Rimini – which in its first iteration, saw 49 arrests and 124 charges in its first ‘season’ (23/24). Rimini sees targeted days of operation led by the local neighbourhood team.

Newly appointed district commander for Stockport, Ch. Supt. Lewis Hughes, was in attendance to welcome officers and partners to the Plaza area, with the day’s briefing being delivered by local Neighbourhood sergeant Jim Senior.

As part of Rimini’s work, officers have utilised multiple tactics to tackle everything from drug dealing to shoplifting, including work with partners, enlisting specialist operations, and using plain-clothes tactics to disrupt criminality.

Throughout the day, three arrests were made, including two under suspicion of breaching court orders, and one under suspicion of possession of Class A drugs. In addition, eleven stop searches were carried out throughout the day.

Youth Offending Services and Stockport’s School-based officers engaged with several youths known to them with some educational behaviour, while Stockport Licensing also supported the day by attending retail outlets to remind them about their responsibilities on appropriate knife sales.

Officers often work with security from nearby stores and centres while actively patrolling known hotspots. This includes using the store net radio, which links store staff immediately to officers on patrol and has seen the apprehension of a number of shoplifters.

While direct action is always a theme of Rimini, community engagement was a key element of Monday’s work, with pop-up stalls providing crime prevention advice on burglaries and personal safety. This also meant locals could meet with their local officers, speak about issues they were having, and learn how to sign up to ‘Bee In The Loop’ – our local messaging service which provides up-to-date news.

Inspector Jason Holmwood, from GMP’s Stockport district, said: “This was another successful day of action as part of Operation Rimini, with its continued proactive approach to dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour in Stockport Town Centre.

“Rimini brought more than 100 charges as part of its previous phase, and I hope to see plenty more arrests and charges of criminals who are operating in Stockport Town Centre and the surrounding areas.

“We have received lots of great feedback from the community and local stores, and will ensure we keep up the good work and action going forward.”