Police say crackdowns on guns and the organised criminals who use them have led to a dramatic fall in the number of Greater Manchester shootings. Years on from the so-called 'Gunchester' era, the number of shootings had been on the rise again before the pandemic.
But Greater Manchester Police says the region has turned a corner thanks to a series of operations and arrests. According to previous GMP figures, there were 146 shooting incidents in 2007-08.
From that peak, the number tumbled to 21 in 2013-14. But the trend for firearm discharges was back on the rise for much of the last decade.
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Numbers climbed to 85 in 2019-20. At the time, the Manchester Evening News was told of licensed firearms ending up in criminal hands, and cooperation between gangs in Greater Manchester and Merseyside that was fuelling the new spike.
Yet new official GMP figures released today (May 30) show a decline in shooting incidents over each of the last three years. The force recorded 70 firearm discharges in 2020-21, 46 in 2021-22 and 25 in 2022-23, the lowest number in almost a decade.
It means the number of recorded incidents has fallen by 64% in the space of three years. GMP says that while it 'continues to detect and record more crimes', these figures show that its work in preventing gun crime is 'delivering real results'.
Meanwhile, more than 70 firearms were taken off the streets of Greater Manchester in 2022-23, GMP say, following proactive policing operations and raids carried out by officers. GMP says these operations were designed to crack down on the criminals who supply firearms, while acting upon community intelligence.
Detective Superintendent John Griffith, GMP’s force lead for Serious Organised Crime, said: “GMP has made significant progress around the management of firearms thanks to a concerted effort by all involved in detecting and removing offensive weapons from the streets of Greater Manchester and arresting those involved in the supply and distribution. This action is showing real results which can be seen in the significant reduction in firearms offences over the past three years.
"That said, there is still a long way to go. Gun crime is devastating to victims and their families, and it has a huge impact on communities."
Officers in Greater Manchester are working across a number of teams to crack down on guns, the force says. Programme Challenger is focused on disrupting organised crime groups who use firearms, while work alongside the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit targets the conversion and supply of legal blank-firing firearms into illegal weapons - an issue highlighted before the recent fall in shootings.
Other recent operations included Eider, which searched Kersal Moor in May 2022 to recover firearms and grenades. Operation Approach, at the turn of the decade, led to the arrest of several key members of a north Manchester organised crime group - and in March 2021 officers arrested 14 people, recovered two firearms and ammunition, plus more than 8kg of class A and B drugs.
Additionally, two stolen vehicles were seized along with more than £150,000 of criminal cash. Since these arrests in 2021, firearm discharges in the community have reduced by more than 80%.
DS Griffith added: "Most firearms incidents are targeted and do not pose a threat to the wider public, but they cause a great deal of fear and anxiety and GMP has a duty to ensure our communities feel safe. Our focus therefore remains on intensifying action to see more guns taken off the streets and holding to account those who are involved in the use, supply and conversion of firearms in Greater Manchester.”
Anyone with concerns or information about suspicious activity is urged to report report it to police online, if able, at www.gmp.police.uk or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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