Two police officers have been assaulted by a “suspected drug dealer” during targeted patrols in Piccadilly Gardens.
It comes after officers from ‘Operation Vulcan’ – which is Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) mission to crackdown on organised crime, the sale of counterfeit goods, and hit the finances of the gangs operating out of the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas of Manchester – worked alongside local neighbourhood officers to conduct ‘high visibility patrols’ in the city centre greenspace yesterday afternoon (6 February).
During the targeted “crack down on criminality” in Piccadilly Gardens, GMP says a man – who was “suspected” to be a drug dealer – assaulted two officers as he attempted to flee the scene.
Despite his attempts to make off, the man was subsequently arrested by police on suspicion of possession with intent to supply, as well as on two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
#ARREST | Drugs seized & officers assaulted in Piccadilly Gardens.
In an attempt to make off from police, a suspected drug dealer assaulted 2 officers.
But he was no match for #OpVulcan & 33 wraps of heroine and cocaine were seized, and he was swiftly escorted to custody. pic.twitter.com/jCi9rmTKhf
— Manchester City Centre Police (GMP) (@GMPCityCentre) February 6, 2024
He remains in police custody for questioning, GMP confirmed.
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In the midst of all of this, officers on the scene also managed to recover 31 wraps of cocaine, and three snap bags of heroin from the suspect.
Inspector Dan Cullum, from GMP’s Operation Vulcan team, called yesterday’s Piccadilly Gardens crackdown a “great result”, but said the aggression shown towards officers during the incident was “unacceptable”.
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Two police officers assaulted by ‘suspected drug dealer’ in Piccadilly Gardens / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Manchester City Council
“Drugs cause an untold amount of harm and disruption in our communities,” Inspector Cullum said, “and so removing this many wraps of cocaine and heroin from just one individual is a great result.
“Our staff work tirelessly day in day out to drive out the criminality from Piccadilly Gardens and work to safeguard those who are at risk of exploitation, but each day they are often faced with volatile individuals and put into difficult situations.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable and we will continue to remove these type of people from our streets.”
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It happened during ‘high visibility patrols’ in the city centre greenspace yesterday afternoon / Credit: GMP
Inspector Cullum has reissued an appeal to the Greater Manchester public, and asked that anyone who has any information about drugs in the Piccadilly Gardens area, or the wider Manchester city centre, get in touch with police to report it.
“Through a combination of hotspot patrolling and community intelligence, we’re able to make a real difference in the area,” Inspector Cullum concluded.
Anyone with any information can contact police on 101, or via the reporting section of the GMP website at gmp.police.uk, or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Emily Sergeant -
7th February 2024 
