33 arrests, 80 traffic offences and £19k in illegal vapes seized as Operation AVRO makes dent in criminality across Bury

Friday, 11 April 2025 17:31

By Adam Clark

Credit: David Murphy / Roch Valley Radio

An early morning briefing was held at the Sir Robert Peel statue, the founder of the Metropolitan Police who was born in Bury, in Bury town centre.

Warrants took place in Radcliffe, Whitefield, Prestwich and Bury for a range of offences including possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs and possession of offensive weapons.

Joint visits with Bury Council at various stores were conducted around Bury, with tobacco-trained dogs and handlers concentrating on illicit tobacco and vapes. More than £12,300 of illegal vapes, £5,745 of cigarettes and £1,290 of hand rolling tobacco were seized alongside fake Apple products, including one watch, five headphones and 17 pairs of AirPods.

A total of 80 traffic offences were reported, with 11 stop searches, nine breaches of the Road Traffic Act, five motoring offences and one stolen vehicle recovered.

High-visibility patrolling took place in Bury town centre, Millgate Shopping Centre and around the transport interchange.

GMP runs Operation AVRO from a different district within Greater Manchester each month, in a bid to tackle the communities’ top concerns.

The proactive operation occurred whilst we welcomed the Government’s pledge for stronger and safer streets in Greater Manchester through the Neighbourhood Policing guarantee.

Every area of GM has neighbourhood tasking teams to proactively tackle crime, neighbourhood crime teams to bring offenders to justice, neighbourhood policing teams to patrol our streets and ensure community safety, and a prevention hub to solve problems and reduce crime.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham joined officers on patrol in Bury town centre and spoke with members of the press.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “We pride ourselves on the fact that our policing model is seen as an exemplar of what good neighbourhood policing looks like. Robbery has fallen by 26%, burglaries have fallen by 33%, we’ve more than doubled arrests, have increased stop and search by more than 392% - that is what our people are doing.

“Neighbourhood policing has been restored in Greater Manchester – every district has a neighbourhood team dedicated to reflecting the needs of their local area.

“GMP picks up the phone quicker than any police force in the country, we respond to issues more quickly than ever before, we record all crime and investigate all reasonable lines of enquiry.”