A public appeal has been issued after a teenager was left with “serious injuries” following a firearm being discharged in Eccles.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has put out an appeal for witnesses and information after officers were called by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) at around 2:30pm yesterday (19 March) to assist with responding to reports of a 16-year-old boy with an arm injury in Eccles.
The injury was believed to have been caused by a firearm, according to GMP.
The victim, who has not been named, was taken to hospital shortly after with “serious injuries”, although these injuries are thankfully not believed to be life-threatening.
A scene remains in place while police carry-out ongoing investigations – with initial enquiries having reportedly suggested that the victim was on his motorbike when two men, also on a motorbike, approached and discharged a firearm.
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GMP says detectives are now “working at pace” to fully establish what happened, and has issued a public appeal to assist with its investigation.
Updating on the situation and giving further insight into the ongoing investigations, Detective Inspector Joanne Johnston from GMP’s Salford district, said: “I would like to reassure the local community that we have increased the number of patrol officers deployed to the area and we are working at pace to understand the full circumstances surrounding this incident.
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“If you have any concerns about this incident, please speak to one of our officers in the area who are on hand to support you.
“We would urge the public to come forward if they have any information that could assist our investigation, and if they have any CCTV, doorbell, or dash cam footage, to report it to us directly.
“We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have been in the area before, during, or after the incident, who may have seen something. No matter how small the information may seem, it could prove vital.”
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Police appeal after teenager left ‘seriously injured’ in firearm incident in Eccles / Credit: GMP
Anyone with any information is urged to contact GMP on 0161 856 1540 quoting log 1758 of 19/3/23.
You can also report information online at www.gmp.police.uk, or through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Police warn criminals ‘don’t bother’ attending Parklife after already making arrest
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police have said that criminals shouldn’t ‘bother’ coming to Parklife festival this weekend, after already making an arrest at the festival site.
Officers have been carrying out searches of people arriving on site this week – and have already arrested a 24-year-old man.
A quantity of pills and a knife were both recovered from the man, who has been arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and possession of a bladed article.
After the arrest, Superintendent Phil Spurgeon issued a statement to criminals, saying ‘don’t bother coming to Parklife’.
He said: “We have a really robust police and partnership community safety operation for the festival, and the arrest and seizure yesterday demonstrates the vigilance of security staff, our thorough search procedures and our commitment to keeping people safe.
Parklife Festival, and (right) the suspected Class A drugs seized this week by police. Credit: GMP
“Make no mistake, illegal items such as weapons and drugs can have fatal consequences. Our top priority this weekend is keeping people safe, and anyone caught trying to take such items into the festival will be robustly dealt with.
“I hope the genuine festival-goers are excited for the fantastic weekend ahead and I am confident the majority will enjoy the event responsibly and safely.”
Greater Manchester Police and Parklife security staff will be working closely together to intercept anyone travelling to the festival with criminal intentions.
The arrest on 8 June was thanks to the festival’s drug detection dogs.
University of Manchester hit by cyber attack with ‘data likely copied’ by unauthorised party
Emily Sergeant
The University of Manchester (UoM) has confirmed that it has today become “the victim of a cyber incident”.
In a formal statement addressing the situation, the city‘s flagship further education institution says some of its systems have been accessed by an “unauthorised party” and that data has “likely been copied” as a result of this.
The University’s in-house experts are said to be “working around the clock” to resolve the issue.
External support teams are also said to be working in collaboration with the University to understand what data has been accessed.
Patrick Hackett – Registrar, Secretary, and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Manchester – explained in a statement issued this morning: “Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident, [as] it has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied.
“Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident, and we are working to understand what data has been accessed”.
— The University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM) June 9, 2023
Mr Hackett said he understands the nature of the issue will “cause concern to members of our community”, and says the University is “very sorry for this”.
The University says it is also working with relevant authorities – including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency, and other regulatory bodies – to resolve the issue, and will provide information to those affected as soon as they are able to.
Students and staff are also be told to be vigilant to any suspicious phishing emails within the coming days – with the University’s IT Services team having published some relevant advice to refer to.
Emily Sergeant -
20th March 2023 
