Greater Manchester has been given an extra £1 million in funding to help tackle the rise in violent crime across the region.
In a crucial attempt to help people leave a life of violent crime behind them, Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has received a significant funding boost to help it develop and trial a new programme in the city of Manchester and beyond.
Part of a wider £6 million joint investment, and expecting to take inspiration from a ‘focused deterrence’ strategy developed over in the US, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) explains that the new trial programme will attempt to identify the people most likely to be involved in violence and supports them to stop.
Previous projects have worked with children as young as 14 or 15.
Prior research has shown that focused deterrence strategies in other countries have been highly effective, and have reduced crime on average by 33%.
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"Greater Manchester’s VRU has received £1million in funding to develop and trial a new programme in the city of Manchester which aims to help people leave a life of violent crime behind them."
— Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (@GM_VRU) September 5, 2022
As the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and Home Office are said to be investing in learning more about what impact focused deterrence could have in England, Greater Manchester’s VRU has been awarded £1 million to develop the trial programme and learn how it works to make Manchester safer.
It will bring together a number of different agencies and community groups, including Greater Manchester Police (GMP), housing providers, faith leaders and schools, to take a partnership approach to ending violence.
“I’m really pleased that the city of Manchester is set to receive this funding so we can trial a new, innovative approach that has achieved success in other countries in preventing people from committing violent crimes,” explained Bev Hughes – Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice, and fire.
Greater Manchester given £1 million in funding to tackle ‘violent crime’ in the region / Credit: GMP
“If this project is able to impact just one person in the city of Manchester, then it has potentially saved a life.
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“This will build on the work our Violence Reduction Unit is already carrying out across our city region to engage with people and prevent these terrible crimes from being committed as we see far too often the devastating consequences they have on our communities and those who lose loved ones to shocking incidents which are sadly preventable.
“We must do all we can to tackle these issues, and this approach which combines support with swift enforcement action, is another way we can now do that.”
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
6th September 2022 
