The undercover police operation dedicated to reducing robberies in Manchester
Operation Valiant sees police ditching their familiar uniforms for plain clothes - enabling officers to blend into the background as they perform brisk patrols in the area.
Footfall has increased considerably in Manchester city centre since lockdown was partially lifted / Image: Robert Wade via Flickr
You might get a tap on your shoulder whilst kicking back in a beer garden this weekend. More than likely, it’ll be a waiter letting you know your order is ready. But it could also be an officer issuing a warning.
Undercover cops have spent the past few weeks blending into the background as part of Greater Manchester Police’s rejuvenated mission to tackle criminals post-lockdown – with robbers and thieves targeting town with formidable persistence since shops and bars reopened.
“More people on the streets means more potential victims to choose from,” one plain-clothes officer tells us during an Operation Valiant patrol, slowly scanning Exchange Square with his eyes.
“They’re usually young lads from just outside the city who come in and target people who might not be aware of the risks, or people who may simply look vulnerable.”
The steady removal of COVID restrictions has brought an end to a whole winter’s worth of deafening silence in Manchester city centre – replacing the sight of locked shutters and deserted roads with a gaggle of masked-up waiters whisking drinks between packed tables.
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With food & drink service resuming alfresco since April 12, a burgeoning silver maze of outdoor furniture has swallowed up almost every last crumb of Northern Quarter’s tarmac.
It’s reached a point where you’ll struggle to find a street in NQ that isn’t at least partly being utilised as a makeshift beer garden – with chairs and tables squeezed into the tightest spots. No alley, nook or cranny is off-limits.
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Thieves and robbers target the city centre / Image: David Dixon via Geograph
The hospitality industry has reported a roaring trade as residents have piled back into the city to drink and dine come rain or shine. But the comeback of bars has meant summer has also come early for thieves out to nick phones, purses and wallets.
Operation Valiant is dedicated to tackling these criminals: With police ditching familiar uniforms for plain clothes as they perform brisk patrols in the area.
From time-to-time, undercover officers spot iPhones on the edges of tables and alert the owner to the risk of potential pickpockets, but the unit is primarily focused on finding those who are responsible for stealing in the first instance.
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Sometimes incidents are far more sinister – with culprits known to wield large blades to intimidate people into handing over their possessions.
“Offenders have adapted their approaches during the pandemic in order to continue committing crime,” Detective Constable Bradley Gordon explains.
“We have seen offenders targeting pupils leaving schools, brandishing weapons, and using Facebook marketplace to arrange phone snatchings and robberies.”
As the patrol reaches Cathedral Gardens, officers slow their pace and peer through a seemingly innocuous steel fence with bins sat on the other side.
“They hide weapons here, sometimes,” one officer explains.
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“They put them in one place and then come back later so they aren’t caught with knives on them.”
Market Street is one of the areas in which undercover officers operate / Image: David Dixon via Geograph
Whilst teens are sometimes targeted for robberies, the textbook offenders are usually in the same age bracket.
Despite their young ages, they can be “cunning” – even utilising their own crude intel via social media channels such as Snapchat.
If one is collared by an officer, another takes the earliest opportunity to grab a photo/video and shares it online. Seconds later, the footage is out there for all to see – and the rest of the criminal group know which cops to look out for.
It presents another challenge, one officer admits, which means the emphasis of Op Valiant is always on staying one step ahead wherever possible.
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Whenever police spot a suspect, they quickly approach them for questioning – and images are circulated among fellow officers for future reference.
One policeman explains: “We want people to be able to relax and have a good time – everyone should be allowed to do that – we just want them to be aware.
“When you have a drink, you let your guard down. And there are people who will take advantage of that.”
DC Gordon added that it was “fantastic to see people out and about again enjoying themselves in the city”, but people needed to be aware of their surroundings as lockdown continues lifting.
“Unfortunately there are people out there who feel like they are entitled to take your belongings,” he stated.
“Most of all we would like people to get out and enjoy themselves in the knowledge that we are doing our best to keep them safe.”
Manchester
Popular night-time indie shopping market returns to Manchester tomorrow
Emily Sergeant
A unique indie shopping market is returning to Manchester, and you’ll be able to shop from 50 local small businesses all under one roof.
In case you hadn’t heard, the hugely-popular Night Market UK is back by popular demand, and it will be stopping off in our city centre for one night only tomorrow as part of the current leg of its tour across the country.
Returning to Manchester, but this time at a new location down at Fairfield Social Club in the Green Quarter, the unique night-time shopping experience will be showcasing more than 50 local small businesses – with everything from bespoke fashion items and beautifully-crafted homeware, to candles, artwork, silverware, and more on offer.
Brutal Fashion, Lost in Music, Urban Botany, and Dapper Alice are just a handful of the indie traders you’ll be able to shop from.
With event organisers promising there’ll be “a stall for everyone” to browse on the night, some of the other traders in attendance, include artisan producers, artists and bakers, as well as Fairfield Social Club’s resident street food purveyors Isit Kitchen, and pizza pros Killa Carbs.
DJ Clara B will also be taking over the club’s sound system too, and will be blasting tunes to set the scene all night long.
From bespoke fashion items and silverware courtesy of Brutal Fashion, to dazzling musical art prints from Lost in Music, and sculptural candles from Urban Botany to beautifully crafted homeware by Dapper Alice, there will be a stall for everyone on the night.
A popular night-time indie shopping market is returning to Manchester tomorrow / Credit: The Night Market UK | Kunal Mahesh Tewari (via The Night Market UK on Facebook)
The Night Market UK will open at Fairfield Social Club from 6pm tomorrow (Friday 26 July), and will run right through until 11pm.
Tickets are now on sale from just £4 each, and can be purchased in hourly entry timeslots – which organisers say “keeps the atmosphere just right” and ensures there’s enough space for everyone to be able to stay as little or as long as they’d like.
You can buy on the door or grab your tickets in advance here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Manchester
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.