Thousands of weapons have been seized and taken off the streets in Greater Manchester by police over the last year.
As part of Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) wider crackdown on knife crime and “serious violence”, it’s been revealed that a total of 3,265 weapons were seized by officers, and there were 168 fewer recorded knife crime offences in the 12 months to January 2023.
This is a reduction of 3.8%, when compared to the previous year.
On top of this, additional investment has also led to the creation of a dedicated team within GMP called ‘Operation Venture’ – which was launched to in December 2022, with the aim of reducing violent crime in neighbourhoods across the region.
Operation Venture has made 84 arrests, taken 33 weapons off the streets of Greater Manchester, and conducted 106 positive stop-searches that “resulted in the detection of an offence” in just the last four months alone.
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#NEWS | 3,265 weapons taken off the streets of Greater Manchester since April 2022 as GMP continues to come down hard on knife crime
3,400 weapons were surrendered via Amnesty bins in 3 months, each representing 1 more knife off the streets
GMP officers from have also carried out 32 targeted visits to known offenders, who they said may have “posed a risk to themselves and others”.
“Unfortunately, serious violence and knife crime is a problem we are seeing across the country and particularly in metropolitan areas – and it is not unique to Manchester,” explained Superintendent Caroline Hemingway, GMP’s lead for knife crime.
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“GMP is committed to doing everything in our power to reduce these incidences of knife crime and ensure our communities feel safe.
“Every life lost is a tragedy and behind each and every one of our figures is a family and a community deeply hurt by knife crime. I am pleased that progress is being made but there is still a long way to go to further prevent and reduce this type of crime.
“We owe it to our communities to make them feel safer and this is why Operation Venture has been launched alongside other proactive policing operations.”
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Police seize more than 3,200 weapons in Greater Manchester to help tackle ‘serious violence’ / Credit: GMP
Over the last three months, GMP also says communities across Greater Manchester have been coming together to rally against the rise in knife crime, and there have been 3,400 weapons surrendered via dedicated Amnesty Bins.
GMP continued to urge that it “cannot win this fight alone”.
“Whilst enforcement is a vital tactic in the fight against knife crime, communities need to come together and continue sharing their concerns and any intelligence so officers can act on it,” Superintendent Hemingway added.
Featured Image – GMP
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Council seized £4.3m worth of counterfeit goods from Manchester’s streets in 2025
Emily Sergeant
A whopping £4.3 million of counterfeit goods were seized from Manchester’s streets in 2025, the Council has revealed.
Now that 2025 has come to end, Manchester City Council has announced that its Trading Standards Team seized and destroyed more than 43,500 counterfeit items in the last year – ranging from everything like fake handbags, trainers, and jewellery, to electronic items, sportswear, children’s toys, sunglasses, and much more.
Through ‘exemplary partnership work’ with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the Council says this criminal industry has taken a ‘substantial hit’ over the past 12 months.
It’s also estimated that the goods seized would have lost the industry up to £43 million.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who is the Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council, said the Council hopes this action ‘sends a message that we will not tolerate this harmful trade.’
The Council seized £4.3m worth of counterfeit goods from Manchester’s streets in 2025 / Credit: GMP
“The counterfeit industry was substantially embedded in our communities, but through their diligence and the support of our valued partners we have driven away some of the worst offenders and are beginning the process of regenerating the areas of Manchester that were long blighted by this sort of crime,” she added.
It’s not just counterfeit goods that’ve been targeted either, as a substantial push was also made throughout the year to crack-down on the sale and distribution of illicit tobacco.
In total, 316,625 cigarettes – which is equivalent to nearly 16,000 individual packs – were seized by the Council and police.
258kg of hand rolling tobacco was also seized, as well as more than 18,000 illegal vapes that don’t comply with UK laws or regulations.
Detective Chief Inspector Melanie Johnson, who is the lead coordinator of Operation Machinize for GMP, says the police takes any information it receives about counterfeit trading ‘very seriously’.
“We will continue to investigate all aspects of this criminality to protect our communities from the harms of illegal products.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Oldham Athletic’s next game postponed amid red weather warnings
Danny Jones
Oldham Athletic FC’s next game has been postponed amid red weather warnings, with a frozen pitch having already set in.
We suspect they won’t be the only ones either…
Oldham Athletic were set to take on Notts County FC at home this weekend, with the upcoming fixture set for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, 10 January, but the state of the Boundary Park stadium’s playing surface has already been declared unfit for use.
Informing the fans of the unfortunate decision, the rescheduled date and time for the match remain yet to be confirmed.
Saturday's home fixture against Notts County has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. #oafc
Addressing supporters online, OAFC wrote: “An inspection took place on Thursday afternoon with the pitch frozen following persistent freezing temperatures since our last home game on New Year’s Day and further adverse weather forecast.
“The inspection was called due to persistent freezing temperatures and in anticipation of further adverse weather between now and kick-off. Tickets will remain valid for the rearranged date, and refunds can be claimed after the new date is confirmed.”
As for Notts County, they have also updated their fans on social media.
They have assured that “tickets purchased for this fixture will [also] be valid for the rearranged date” and that “supporters who require a refund will be able to do so after the date for the rearranged fixture is announced.”
Postponement comes amid parts of Oldham, Greater Manchester and other areas across the country being hit with severe weather warnings, which have now been upgraded from an initial yellow rating.
2026’s first named storm, the weather event dubbed by Goretti by the French meteorological service, is set to bring further frosty conditions and blustery winds to us Brits.
The UK received its first snowfall of the year earlier this month, but this next pattern of cold air is set to see even more arrive, with the forecast potentially running into next week.
As for the Latics, the 15th-placed League Two team will have to wait until their ground thaws out to try and make up ground between them and the play-off spots.
Worth keeping an eye on the Met Office if you were planning a trip to the footy over the next few days.
Emily Sergeant -
13th March 2023 
