Police Confiscate Knives in Proximity to Manchester City Centre Following Suspicious Behaviour

Two individuals have been apprehended and their knives confiscated by officers from the recently established Operation Venture squad, aimed at combating street crime near Manchester city centre.

 

On January 5th at approximately noon, undercover officers belonging to Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Operation Venture team observed a grey SEAT car displaying suspicious behavior in the Rusholme area. After discreetly monitoring the vehicle and witnessing one occupant briefly visit a block of flats on Wilmslow Road, additional units were called in for support.

 

Uniformed officers subsequently stopped both men, aged 22 and 24, conducted searches, and discovered that they were both in possession of knives. The individuals were arrested on suspicion of carrying bladed articles and taken in for questioning. Following their arrests, they have been released pending further police investigations.

 

Operation Venture, established in Autumn 2022, consists of full-time, specially selected officers who patrol crime hotspots in the city and focus on known offenders. The squad employs a combination of plainclothes and uniformed officers to address violent crime, serving as a deterrent and resulting in the apprehension of over 300 offenders and the removal of nearly 100 weapons from the streets in 2023 alone.

 

Sergeant Paul Heap, part of GMP's Operation Venture team, commended the proactive policing efforts, citing this incident as a prime example of utilizing covert and overt tactics to fulfill public expectations of law enforcement officers patrolling the streets and ensuring community safety.

 

Heap emphasized the legitimacy of lawful searches carried out when deemed necessary, underscoring the successful outcome in recovering two knives from the streets that could have potentially been used in criminal activities to intimidate or cause harm.

 

E&K Solicitors

Rusholme