Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has revealed that almost £14 million has been seized and recovered from criminals over the last year.
Detailing more about the significant sum, the police force confirmed in a statement that from March 2021 to April 2022, its Economic Crime Unit (ECU) was able to successfully recover a total of £13.7 million from criminals across Greater Manchester, which is an increase of 26% on the previous year.
According to GMP, a total of £3.7 million came from Confiscation Orders following the criminal conviction of offenders, £6.6 million in cash seizures, and £155,000 of seized listed assets – which includes items such as watches, precious metals, and more.
£3.2 million was also recovered by the new Account Freezing Order Team from accounts frozen due to their suspected use in crime.
In total, £5.7 million of the recovered funds will be returned to GMP as part of what the force has called the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS), which will see the money used for a number of worthy community programmes and charities across the region.
It will also go towards funding policing programmes and operations to “further fight crime”.
“This has been a record year for asset recovery for GMP and we are one of the leading forces in the UK and that has resulted from a more proactive approach,” explained Detective Chief Inspector Joseph Harrop.
“We will continue to use more innovative and proactive ways to find and recover these assets [and] we are committed to tackling organised crime in all its guises and stripping assets from criminals.
“We have three new, highly skilled teams committed to asset recovery – the Confiscation and Restraint Unit, the Asset Detention and Recovery Unit and the Account Freezing Order Team – and these teams will hunt for and recover assets however they are hidden. We also have a new Money Laundering Team that will identify, investigate and prosecute all those involved in trying to launder criminal proceeds.”
GMP’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) was able to successfully recover a total of £13.7 million / Credit: Greater Manchester Police
He then added: “Half of the money forfeited goes automatically to the Greater Manchester Police ARIS fund used for charities and community initiatives.”
Following the seizure of funds, GMP is now appealing for information from the public about anyone they suspect to be living a criminally-funded lifestyle and may have hidden assets, so that they can “deprive them of their cash and use it for a better purpose.”
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Dates announced as resident doctors prepare to stage strikes this month
Emily Sergeant
Resident doctors in England have voted to stage strike action over pay, and the dates for the industrial action have now been confirmed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published today revealed that 90% of resident doctors have voted in favour of a potential return to industrial action.
It comes after the ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast.
26,766 of those votes endorsed the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay, while just under 3,000 voted against it.
The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose from now until January 2026.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had ‘no other choice’ given the ongoing failures to restore pay.
They added that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to ‘make the right decision’ on pay, and urged the Government to return to negotiations ‘as soon as possible’.
It’s now been confirmed that resident doctors will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
These upcoming strikes come after resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors, until 2024 – in England participated in an unprecedented 11 rounds of strike action after negotiations with the previous Conservative Government over restoring pay repeatedly stalled.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008,” the committee co-chairs said. “Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly, but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away.
“The next move is the Government’s – will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”
The Manc -
10th May 2022 
