This week marks a decade since hundreds were arrested in Greater Manchester after "unprecedented levels of violence and criminality" swept the region in summer 2011.
On the morning of 10 August 2011 – when the sirens had switched off, the flames had fizzled out, and the roars had been silenced – hundreds of Mancunians quietly got to work on repairing their shattered city.
Families, students and businesspeople arrived en masse to strap on gloves, grasp brooms and pick up paintbrushes, working together to shovel broken glass out of streets and reattach the frames to shop doorways.
The day before, Manchester and Salford had been swept up in the violence consuming England following the death of Mark Duggan – a 29-year-old who had been shot dead by police earlier in the summer of 2011.
A protest in Tottenham Hale had led to clashes with law enforcement, and the next few days saw trouble spread from the capital into other cities across the country.
Ten years after the 2011 riots, @MENnewsdesk mentions an @OfficialUoM study which found nearly a third of those punished afterwards came from the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester – with not a single person from the richest areas https://t.co/HCiVr75Hf8
— The University of Manchester News (@UoMNews) August 9, 2021
The first pockets of local violence erupted in Salford Shopping Centre on the afternoon of August 9. Supermarket Lidl was the first target, before looters proceeded to break into a Bargain Booze and The Money Shop.
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Police were pelted with missiles and journalists covering the story were even caught up in the melee; a BBC radio car battered with bricks before being set alight.
Within hours, Manchester city centre’s shops were also under attack – with officers overwhelmed by “unprecedented levels of violence and criminality”.
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Mobs broke into Manchester’s Arndale Centre and groups stormed shops like Footasylum, Bang & Olufsen and Swarovski in St Ann’s Square.
Miss Selfridge on Market Street was also engulfed in flames as the outnumbered police desperately battled the masked-up mobs rampaging through the city streets.
The Guardian said it turned into “a tale of two riots” – with Greater Manchester Police’s then-chief constable Peter Fahy suggesting the respective culprits in Salford and Manchester had responded in different ways.
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“Certainly most of [the rioting] in Manchester was about getting goods, breaking into places and stealing things,” Fahy told The Guardian.
“Salford I think was slightly different. It was more about attacking us and the fire services.”
The trouble in Greater Manchester dissipated the next day – but the region remained severely shaken.
More than 370 people were arrested, 60 officers were injured, and the total police cost was reportedly more than £3 million.
After the rioting ended elsewhere in England on August 11, it was revealed that more than 200 people had been injured and over 3,000 arrested nationwide. Five people were also killed during the six days of violence.
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But according to local Councillor Pat Karney, Greater Manchester’s role in the riots was not reflective of what the region was about. He says it was those next few days – where adults and children were seen flocking to fix the damage – that showed the real GM.
“The true Mancunian spirit has been shown in Manchester today,” the councillor stated, as locals swept away debris and stuffed rubbish into sacks.
“The community has come out to say enough is enough, and that they will not stand by and let thugs try to destroy our city.
“This was pure criminal behaviour from a minority of people who were intent on looting and rioting and these criminals are not fit to be called Mancunians.”
Salford City drop first new kit ahead of new era for the football club
Danny Jones
Salford City FC have finally dropped the first new kit for the team’s new era, with the native second city side having fully reverted to orange and black as their core colours and a fresh club crest late last year.
The local club, which was famously bought by Manchester United’s ‘Class of ’92’ and businessman Peter Lim back in 2014, is now embarking on its next chapter and a “new identity” – starting with going back to the days of old when it comes to the badge and official palette.
After the change was initially announced last October following feedback from an extensive fan review, a first glimpse at the rebooted badge, which calls back to previous versions, and the details behind it were revealed this past December.
Fast forward to Wednesday, 8 July, and the latest away shirt incorporating the new (and old) core design tenets has been released in full glory; here’s a closer look:
As you can see, the white-base alternate strip features the iconic adidas three stripes in orange across the shoulders and sleeves as a representation of their new primary colour, but keeps the second accent often used on home, away and/or third kits in recent years.
Keeping the black with an orange trim on the neck and cuffed short sleeves, Ammies can almost certainly expect some kind of inversion of the trio on the main for the home shirt.
Perhaps most notably, leading global insurer AIG is printed across the front and the new principal sponsor, continuing their partnership with the organisation and replacing Fireball Whisky after a short stint as the lead brand logo.
Unsurprisingly, some Salford supporters have noted that it is reminiscent of Man United kits from 2006-2010, who were also sponsored by the company.
Elsewhere, international technology consultancy Accenture features across the upper portion of the back of the shirt, and British wellness retailer Holland & Barrett appear on the left-hand sleeve.
Finally, the kit is completed with white shorts that also feature orange stripes and a black and orange trim, and customised ‘SCFC’ white socks.
Salford’s Lionesses women’s team will wear black shorts with orange stripes instead. What do you make of the first fresh shirt of the new era, Salfordians?
Trafford drugs ring sentenced to over a quarter of a century behind bars
Danny Jones
A local drug ring has been hit hard this month after four members of an organised crime group were sentenced to a combined quarter of a century in prison.
The quartet of criminals have been slapped with roughly 25 years following a series of arrests over the 18 months or so, with the first being made back in August 2024.
Stopfordian resident Calvin Cousins was taken into custody, charged and ultimately convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and class A, receiving a seven-year sentence – but his isn’t even the longest stint behind bars handed down by Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week.
Following a conclusive hearing on Friday, 3 July, Germane Tarrant from Salford was also convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and class A drugs, for which he received nine years and 10 months.
Meanwhile, fellow Salfordian Letitia Sandys was convicted of participating in the activities involving organised crime by providing legitimacy to drug supply activity, collecting drugs from conspirators, and assisting with anti-surveillance measures, as well as disposal of said drugs and paraphernalia.
Fourth and finally, Nicholas Griffin of Clifford Avenue was also convicted of conspiracy to supply class B and conspiracy to supply class A after a two-week trial this past January.
The pair were given 27 months and six and a half years, respectively.
As per a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) press release, this recent result is a product of the Trafford Challenger unit’s exhaustive investigation across the Sale, Altrincham and Timperley area between August ’24 and this past July.
Cousins, in particular, was arrested twice during that period, with phone analysis and surveillance tactics ultimately ending in over £25,000’s worth of cannabis and cocaine being recovered among other contraband.
This latest progress made by GMP comes amid a series of successes within various boroughs like Trafford, Salford, Stockport and more, with local authorities continuing to crack down on criminal organisations of various sizes.
The SK Challenger Team are doing important work, too.
GMP Detective Sergeant Samuel Barr, from the Trafford Challenger team, said: “The presence of organised crime groups (OCGs) in our communities undermines public safety and trust.
“We are committed to disrupting and dismantling OCGs to protect our communities and keep people safe from the harms associated with organised crime.
“I hope today sends a clear message that we will not tolerate organised crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people by those criminals. We will not stop until we have brought them to justice.
“If you’re concerned about criminal activity in your area, please reach out to us; we rely on information from the public to assist with our enquiries.”
As always, they are urging those with information they feel may be pertinent to file a report with the police on 101, via the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Manc -
10th August 2021 
