Police have reinvested more than £15 million in cash seized from criminals back into local communities across Manchester.
Over the last financial year, Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Economic Crime Unit – which is made up of police officers, detectives, and other additional staff – have together recovered a whopping total of £15,163,436.27 of ‘criminal’ money.
The Economic Crime Unit is tasked with dealing with complex investigations relating to serious fraud, money laundering, and the confiscating of the finances of those that have profited from crime in Greater Manchester – with each of the teams working within the unit specialising in targeting criminals’ cash in the journey from its seizure, to the recovery of funds in court.
Some of the teams who work as part of the Economic Crime Unit include the dedicated ‘Money Laundering Team’, the ‘Account Freezing Order’ team, the ‘Asset Detention and Recovery’ team, and the ‘Restraint and Confiscation’ team.
#NEWS |Criminal cash given back to communities as we seize over £15 million in the last tax year 💰
The unit is made up of a number of teams who target criminal cash in the journey from the seizure of cash to the recovery of these funds in court.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 10, 2024
By working together as a team, each with a dedicated task at hand, this has meant that the Economic Crime Unit has broken records in the sheer volume of cash it has seized and then recovered for the force throughout this past year.
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The seized funds are then used as Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) funding to benefit the local communities across our region.
Detective Inspector Sarah Langley, of GMP’s Economic Crime Unit, described the amount of criminal cash seized this financial year as a “significant achievement” for the region, as it not only “disrupts criminals as they look to line their pockets with illicit cash” but it also “directly benefits” communities across Greater Manchester as these funds are being reinvested into “vital” community programmes and services.
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£15 million of ‘criminal cash’ seized by police has been reinvested back into Manchester’s communities / Credit: GMP
“It’s fitting that we recover the money from those individuals who have profited from crime for their own selfish gain, and will now be used to improve our communities in Greater Manchester by giving the funding to those who need it the most,” DI Langley explained.
“Over the last year, we have worked hard to dismantle several criminal networks engaged in money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes.”
DI Langley said the reinvestment of the seized funds is “so satisfying”.
She continued: “This year we have recovered over £15 million, and a significant amount has been put back into Greater Manchester, and it’s so satisfying when we can see that our hard work has a difference on the communities we serve.
“This encourages us to get even more money this next financial year.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Emily Sergeant -
11th June 2024 
