A 26-year-old male has been arrested following an attack on two GMP officers with a knife.
The officers were assaulted with a knife following a police pursuit on Wood Road in Old Trafford yesterday evening.
They were approached by a man carrying a knife while in the process of dealing with another incident, which is believed to be unrelated.
GMP had first been made aware of a moped being driven erratically at around 4pm on 26 July – the vehicle made off when they tried to stop it.
The moped was later involved in a road traffic collision near the junction of Wood Road and Upper Chorlton Road in South Manchester, in the Whalley Range and Stretford area.
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And while officers were detaining the 18-year-old on suspicion of dangerous driving, another male – possibly unconnected to the collision – assaulted the police officers with a knife.
A taser was deployed to maintain the safety of all involved and the 26-year-old arrested.
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He was also taken to hospital to ensure his welfare, before being taken into custody.
Superintendent Cara Charlesworth said: “This was a serious assault on two officers who were simply doing their jobs and trying to keep members of the public safe.
“Thankfully the injuries inflicted on our officers are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing and I commend them for their bravery in bringing the incident to a swift and safe conclusion without risk to the public. One has required hospital treatment and we wish him a speedy recovery.
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“I can assure you that we are treating this incident with due severity and whilst I am pleased we have a man in custody, this investigation is in its early days and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances.
“I urge anyone with information about this incident that could assist our investigation to please contact police as soon as possible. This includes if you were in the area at the time and have any footage – including mobile, CCTV or dashcam.
“Anyone with any information should contact police on 0161 856 7621 quoting incident number 2401 of 26/07/2023.
“Reports can also be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Featured image: Google Maps
News
Hundreds of staff to strike at four Greater Manchester hospitals next week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week.
More than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – are walking out for three days next week after union UNISON says an offer to ‘resolve’ a dispute was withdrawn before discussions could take place.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 24, Wednesday 26, and Friday 28 August.
In particular, staff from all four sites will also gather in Salford on Wednesday (26 August) for a ‘unified’ day of protest.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
“Those at the top of NCA have shown a lack of leadership and made their disregard for their staff clear,” explained UNISON North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan.
“A deal was put on the table but taken away before we had chance to talk it over. We are ready to continue negotiations, but it’s obvious NCA has no intention of resolving this.
“This isn’t complicated. Staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to. Nothing more.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Wetherspoons introduces new phone rule at all UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
JD Wetherspoon has announced a major new phone rule in all its sites across the UK after customers complain of being ‘driven nuts’.
The pub chain – which has nearly 800 branches across the UK – announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise – with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an ‘increasing problem’ in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be ‘an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation’.
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’ / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: “Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones.”
Tim Martin added: “In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.”
Wetherspoon’s ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for ‘headphone dodgers’ who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon’s ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Daisy Jackson -
27th July 2023 
