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.”
Police appeal after Salford woman, 95, threatened by window cleaner in her own home
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing for information after an elderly woman was threatened inside her own home during an attempted robbery.
Around 11am yesterday morning (27 January), officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Salford division responded to reports that a woman had cash demanded from her at an address on Belcroft Drive in Little Hulton.
It is believed that a man entered the property after offering to clean the woman’s – who police have confirmed is 95-years-old – windows, before tying her hands together, and then demanding her cash and purse.
The man’s efforts were disrupted when another woman who knew the victim arrived at the house, and thankfully because of this, no injuries were reported and the victim is being supported by officers.
The man fled the scene, and no arrests have been made at this time.
This is why police are now appealing to the public for any information that they may have that could help with their investigation while extensive enquires are ongoing – including any CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage from around the area at the time.
Investigators attended the scene and gathered evidence, which is currently being assessed and acted upon, but are also keen to speak to anyone who saw anything ‘suspicious’.
The man who committed the offence was described as white male, approximately in his late 60s or early 70s, with short mousy brown hair combed back, no facial hair, glasses, appeared well-kempt, and was wearing a dark raincoat jacket, jeans, and dark-coloured shoes.
“This was a vile incident in which a woman was tied up and threatened, and we are determined to locate the man responsible,” commented Detective Inspector Paul Davies, from GMP’s Salford district.
“Thankfully, this was not a more serious situation and we commend the brave actions of the lady’s friend who confronted the man and called officers. As we progress this investigation, we are appealing for anyone with any information to please come forward.”
Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101 or the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1082 of 27/01/26, or alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
NHS launches new AI and robot cancer detection pilot offering ‘glimpse into future’
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has launched a ‘trailblazing’ new AI and robot pilot to help spot cancers sooner.
Patients who are facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under the new pilot that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, and all without with fewer tests too.
At the moment, patients are faced with weeks of repeat scans and procedures to come to a diagnosis.
But this could soon be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy – reducing prolonged uncertainty, and avoiding more invasive surgery.
According to the NHS, the new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, before a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with much greater precision than standard techniques.
A new NHS pilot using AI and robotic technology will help doctors reach hard-to-detect lung cancers earlier.
Weeks of scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy, reducing uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – which is around the size of a grain of rice – that are hidden deep in the lung and are often deemed too risky or difficult to access using existing methods, and once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the pilot – which is currently being carried out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – as ‘a glimpse of the future of cancer detection’.
“Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families,” admitted Professor Peter Johnson, who is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
The NHS has launched a new AI and robot cancer detection pilot that’s offering a ‘glimpse into future’ / Credit: rawpixel
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection.
“Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th September 2022 
