Operation Vulcan win international problem-solving policing award in America

Last week, officers from our Operation Vulcan team attended a prestigious awards ceremony in Baltimore, America, where they won the Herman Goldstein Award which celebrates the very best examples of problem-solving policing from across the globe.

They were up against some excellent nominations, but Operation Vulcan’s multi-agency initiative targeting the illegal counterfeit trade and associated criminality in Cheetham Hill prevailed, placing Greater Manchester Police’s first-class problem-solving policing onto the world stage.

Since launching in November 2022, the dedicated team of officers, combined with support from a wide range of partners, have been able to:

• Shut down 216 counterfeit shops.
• Seize over 1,000 tonnes of counterfeit clothes which have been repurposed and donated to charities.
• Seize tens of thousands of unsafe toys and illicit vapes taken off our streets.
• Made 238 arrests.
• Execute 117 warrants.
• Recover almost 3 million illegal prescription drugs.
• Seize over £500k which will be reinvested back into Greater Manchester communities.
• Reduce violent crime by 62%.

Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood, who leads the operation said: “It was a privilege to attend The Herman Goldstein Awards ceremony and highlight the excellent multi-agency work that has been done in Cheetham Hill over the last two years. The results would not have been possible without each and every police officer, police staff, partner, and community member who have given their all to this operation to create a real change in the area.

“Operation Vulcan is about much more than just enforcement. We’ve endeavoured to build back a sense of unity in the area, and we continue to work with the community and our partners to improve the lives of residents who were once impacted by serious crime.

“One of the key ways we have done this is by ensuring the money we seize from criminals is put back into community projects, and we’ve been able to invest in the local primary school and several community initiatives.

“To date, we’ve also re-purposed over 1,000 tonnes of seized counterfeit items, turning items such as hats, t-shirts and gloves into new items for charity organisations to share with those who need it the most.”