THE VOICE OF GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE
BOLTON · NOVEMBER 2023
BOLTON BAGS TEAM OF THE YEAR
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NPCT win big for Bolton!
The month of October saw the Annual Chief Constable’s Awards ceremony, with Bolton officers nominated in four categories: Team of the Year, Police Officer of the Year, Operation of the Year and Apprentice of the Year. I am delighted to announce that Bolton’s Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team were chosen as GMP’s Team of the Year and I look forward to watching this young team go from strength to strength in their bid to reduce and detect Serious Acquisitive Crime whilst protecting the communities of Bolton. The runners up, Operation Overspill, DC Andrew Jamieson and Apprentice Josie Frank all narrowly missed out, but should be very proud of everything they’ve achieved this year, and in fact reaching the final against such stiff competition is an achievement in itself. Continuing the theme of awards, PCSO Mervyn Fox attended the National Tilley Awards last week as a result of his fantastic multi-agency problem solving work in the Halliwell area. He was pipped to the post by Operation Vulcan, but his work continues to be widely celebrated, with the Chief Constable even referring to him and this project. We’re now moving into a busy period with Halloween and Bonfire night just round the corner. October saw another successful operation in respect of the Bradshaw Fireworks display led by the North Neighbourhood Team with assistance from our Special Constabulary. I look forward to updating you all next month on what we have planned for the remaining months of 2023. Thank you for your continued hard work and commitment, and I wish you all a safe and productive November. Chief Superintendent Steph Parker
The newly formed Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team at Bolton were recently awarded GMP’s Team of the Year title at the Chief Constable’s Annual Awards. Inspector Waywell who leads the Bolton Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team (NPCT) believes the success of the team is down to the dedication and commitment the officers have shown over the past 12 months. He said: “This is a newly formed team with varying levels of policing experience. However, right from the start the team were committed to doing the very best for the communities across Bolton, reducing and preventing neighbourhood crime to make the town a safer place. “Winning this award for the work we are doing is fantastic. It gives recognition for all the team’s hard work in going above and beyond to prevent and detect crime, and in doing so making a difference to the public of Greater Manchester. “I believe they are worthy winners, as they go above and beyond when dealing with victims of crime and pursuing the criminals involved in the crime. They have upskilled themselves and created new ways of working in a unit that didn’t exist prior to the start of last year. “They all bring different skills to the team and work together, sometimes
completing long hours to ensure the correct outcome is achieved. “Everyone likes a pat on the back though, and this award will just make them more determined to improve as officers and continue to deliver the highest levels of service to the communities across Bolton.” The newly formed Bolton NPCT have consistently delivered an outstanding service to the communities of Bolton in relation to targeting, tackling, and reducing neighbourhood crime. Since the team was established in April 2022 to improve the district’s response to burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, they have collectively delivered over 580 arrests and 300 charges and achieved the second highest positive outcome rate for burglaries in the Force. They have also supported a 32 per cent overall reduction in burglary dwellings – meaning that 700 fewer households have been the victim of a burglary in Bolton, surpassing all expectations over the past year.
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‘On track to be UK’s best force within two years’ After reflecting on the standard of the work of this year’s Annual Awards winners and other shortlisted candidates, Chief Constable Stephen Watson confidently stated that we will be the best performing police force in the country within two years. He found it harder than ever to choose the winners this year, due to the sky high standard of the nominations across the 18 categories, and used the glittering awards ceremony held at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium to commend the work being done across GMP to continue the force’s rapid resurgence. The Chief said: “Our Annual Awards offer the chance to pause for a moment to reflect on what it is that you are collectively and individually achieving in the interests of the public whom we serve. “I send a huge heartfelt thanks to you all, because what GMP is achieving right now is special. “We have gone from special measures and being 43rd out of 43 forces to smashing every reasonable measure of efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy. “GMP was the most improved force in the country last year, and I confidently
predict that we will be so for the second consecutive year. “We are on a mission to be the best police force in this country for the next 30 years – and we will achieve it. “In two years’ time we will be ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ at all things and we will be the best performing force in the country, because of you. “It’s all down to your performance, your leadership and what it is you’re asking of yourselves and your colleagues. “It’s about professionalism, it’s about diligence, it’s about standards, it’s about compassion and it’s about being relentless in harrying criminals and looking after good people and preventing bad things from happening to them. “It’s about picking up the phone, making accurate records, investigating lines of enquiry, arresting bad people, looking after vulnerable victims, making sure that we keep folks informed and operating proactively to prevent crimes and anti-social behaviour from happening in the first place. “I could not feel more privileged and honoured to be entrusted with the leadership of this force, and I thank
you all for everything that you have done and continue to do.” The Chief has labelled October’s event ‘a glorious occasion’ for GMP and congratulated all the officers, staff members, volunteers, apprentices and Cadets who won awards on the big night. He has pointed out that the 18 award categories highlight the fact that GMP is a ‘full spectrum organisation’, rewarding everything from ‘very localised interventions through to highly specialist interventions that use fearsome forms of technology to tackle criminals who cause the most harm, and everything in between’. Never one to rest of his laurels, the Chief has also pointed out that there is still much work to be done to realise his strategic vision for GMP. “We know we can do more and we know we can do better – we have to move from quantity to quality, from behaviours to culture,” the Chief said. “But we have started to nail the basics in a way that is not only making a big difference to our public but is making GMP start to be seen as an exemplar for the rest of the country.”
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Congratulations to all our Chief Constable’s Annual Awards winners Rochdale CID’s Operation Cardington team were the big winners at the Chief Constable’s Annual Awards. After scooping the Criminal Investigation of the Year category title, the team were crowned the Overall Award winners at a glittering ceremony held at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Chief Constable Stephen Watson hailed the team on the big night for their outstanding work in establishing the extent of serial domestic abuser and rapist Andrew Ellison’s offending and bringing him to justice for his appalling crimes. The team subsequently labelled the double award win ‘the icing on the cake’ to a standout investigation that culminated in a 28-year prison sentence for Ellison and some much needed closure for his five victims. See the ‘Double delight for Op Cardington team’ article on the intranet for the full details. Although the team are undoubtedly worthy winners, the Chief admits that he found picking the winners of this year’s awards incredibly hard due to the extremely high standard of the nominated candidates. Addressing the candidates on the night, he said: “It was a very hard job because we were inundated with a great volume of fantastic nominations this year, but it was a brilliant job as it was enlightening and left you feeling motivated. “There were times when it felt almost impossible to distinguish between excellent police work and the excellent work of those who support the frontline most excellently. “You are all worthy of being here. You all are reflective of a resurgent GMP, and you all represent the very best of GMP and the very best of policing nationally.” The standard was so high for the Unsung Hero Award that the Chief could not decide on a sole winner for it, so he chose to have two winners instead. He also created a new Proactive Investigation of the Year award due to the amount of standout nominees in the Criminal Investigation of the Year category.
A full list of the award categories and the winners is below, with corresponding photographs to the right: 1.
Overall Award and Criminal Investigation of the Year: Rochdale CID’s Operation Cardington team – Detective Sergeants Ruth Thompson, Tim O’Callagan and Rick Shelton, Detective Constables Marshall Trower, Russ Clarke, Mel Jeffery, Rachael Stafford, Georgina Jones and Hannah Havard and Intelligence Support Officer Kelly Parkinson. 2. Apprentice of the Year: Safer Transport Team Business Administration Apprentice Dominika Majdziak. 3. Bravery Award: Trafford Neighbourhood Policing Team officers – Sergeants Marc Foster and Tim Ansell and Police Constable Marcus Wolstencroft. 4. Cadet Leader of the Year: Tameside Voluntary Police Cadet Unit Leader Garry Joynes. 5. Cadet of the Year: Tameside Voluntary Police Cadet Unit Head Cadet Toby Parker. 6. Innovation: Force Contact, Crime and Operations Branch (FCCO) Marple implementation team – Crime Recording and Resolution Unit (CRRU) Business Lead Rebecca Greaney, CRRU Manager Kristopher Langdown, Digital Policing Programme (DPP) Sergeant Adam Frank, DPP Police Constables Mark Jones, Dominic Ginty and Mark Harrison and Change Project Manager David Millington. 7. Operation of the Year: Operation Wolverine – Sergeant Mike Lawrenson and Police Constables Myles Edwards, Joanne Ferguson, Martin Reynolds, Mark Bateson, Ryan Davies and Wayne Redfearn, PCSOs Maria Hughes and Claire Broome and Administration Assistants Gary Bolton and Hazel Smith. 8. PCSO of the Year: Wigan PCSO Michelle Ashurst. 9. Police Officer of the Year: Stockport Response Police Constable Tracy Hallworth. 10. Problem Solving: Operation Vulcan – Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood, Detective Chief Inspector Jenny Kelly, Detective Inspector Christian Julien, Inspector Andy Torkington, Detective Sergeant Matt Donnelly, Sergeant Dan Cullum, Detective Constables Rob Smith and Peter Williams, Temporary DCs Vanessa Gilbert, Rachel Gill and Matthew Bowling, Investigative Support Officers Nick Price, Neil Ingram and Libbi Anderson, Police Constables Antony Rushton, Jamieleigh Clark, Simon Pymm, Saad Khan, Matthew Kech, John Galloway, Jennifer Burd, Lewis Boucher, Adam Challenor and Nick White, Major Incident Analyst Cain Ashton and Media Officers Fleur Armitage and Abigail Richardson. 11. Staff Member of the Year: Procedural Standards Forensic Specialist Hannah Marney. 12. Special Officer of the Year: Bury Special Constable Adam Duffy. 13. Student Officer of the Year: Bury Detective Constable Morgan Skeels-Caldwell. 14. Team of the Year: Bolton Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team (NPCT) – Detective Inspector Jon Waywell, Detective Sergeant Carla Deighton, Detective Constable Simon Swann, Sergeant Sarah Dixon and Police Constables Kiernan Bishop-Phillips, Matt Cookson, Joel Dalton, Jack Shaw, Emma Critchley, Georgia Ashcroft, Hannah Kirk and Sam Burgess. 15. Unsung Hero Award: Nexus House Catering Assistant Sophia McCurrie and Design Studio Manager Jay Ashworth (Sharon Kaberry picked up Jay’s award on his behalf). 16. Voluntary Police Cadet Unit of the Year: Bury Volunteer Police Cadet Unit Volunteer Cadet Co-ordinators Inspector Ryan Page and PCs Tim Heap and Claire Wright and Volunteer Cadet Leaders PC Luke Woodcock, Special Constable Steve Bolton, Dr Rebecca Page and now retired Comms Operator Allister Taylor. 17. Volunteer of the Year: Bury Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Dorothy Stoddard. 18. Proactive Investigation of the Year: Operation Somerled – Serious Organised Crime Group’s Syndicate 3’s Detective Inspectors Anthony Norman and Claire Rawcliffe, Detective Sergeants Colin Shackleton, Ryan Grumbridge, Phil Kennedy, Mark Atkinson and Mark Dunnington, Detective Constables Anthony Scott, Lee Siddall, Bryn Reeves and Dominic Greenwood, retired DC Glynn Mason, Intelligence Support Officer Roger Galt and Intelligence Analyst Donna Thomas. Check out the dedicated ‘Chief Constable’s Annual Awards 2023’ section of the intranet for more photos and information about the awards.
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A range of dignitaries – including the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Diane Hawkins, the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester Mary-Liz Walker, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Kate Green and GMFRS’ Deputy Chief Fire Officer Ben Norman – assisted the Chief in handing out the awards. The winners are photographed picking up their awards on the night. The photograph of the Op Somerled team has been excluded due to them being a covert team.
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Mission accomp for Operation Pr
Conservative Party Conference policing operation
The policing operation for the Conservative Party Conference was once again a success this year. The major event for Manchester saw thousands of visitors and delegates welcomed to the city. It took our officers over 12 months to prepare for Operation Protector. The four-day conference held in October was a multi-agency security operation that successfully showcased Manchester as a vibrant, friendly city that can host large-scale events peacefully and with professionalism. More than 10,000 people safely visited the city, to the benefit of local businesses and the local economy. On the opening day of the conference, around 3,000 protestors marched through the city and attended a rally which went ahead without incident. Unrelated to the event, a number of proactive arrests were made in the city, demonstrating that it was business as usual for many officers on the ground. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, Gold Commander for the event, said: “Security operations of this scale are always complex and require a high degree of multi-agency work. “With our partners, we worked tirelessly to protect delegates, enable protests and keep our city safe, and I am proud to hear such positive feedback about our staff, who performed their duties to the highest of standards.” The success of the conference has further boosted Manchester’s reputation as an iconic city for major events. Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “I know many thousands of you have been involved in executing what was again an immense policing operation, whether that be through planning the event, policing it, assisting visitors, catering and all those on divisions who carried and took up the slack of those deployed at the conference. “This operation is something which really strains every sinew of GMP. “These conferences are really important for our city region and Greater Manchester Police, as they give us an opportunity to showcase what it is that makes GMP such a great organisation. “My thanks go to all of you for your professionalism, your diligence and your cheerfulness. “You did a fantastic job and I am very proud of you.”
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plished rotector
n an overwhelming success
NOVEMBER 2023
Behind the scenes of operational preparation Manchester has up to 119 million visitors a year, and policing large-scale events is a common occurrence for GMP. Ensuring the safety and security of participants and spectators is a monumental task for these events. The force undertakes a meticulous and comprehensive set of preparations to ensure that these events go off without a hitch. The latest Operation Protector showed that extensive planning is key to a successful operation. Protective Security Operations Chief Inspector Roger Worrell, the Lead Planning Co-ordinator for Op Protector, said: “I work on Op Protector for 12 months, and the planning and logistics team are brought together six months prior to the Conservative Party Conference. This team comprises 15 officers and a police staff member, who are seconded from their ‘day jobs’ to work solely on Op Protector. “Their work focuses on ensuring the appropriate resources are rostered for duty across the operation and that they are provided with the right vehicles, accommodation and accreditation for their roles.” Ensuring that each element of the security operation is in place is key, and the team focus on mitigation measures for various threats, such as deploying National Barrier fencing to prevent a vehicle attack, using detection equipment to stop a drone in mid-air and implementing large-scale searches in conjunction with the military to identify and find any improvised explosive devices. The four-day conference itself saw: • An average of 1,650 officers deployed on Op Protector duties per day • A total of 235 police vehicles used • More than 16,000 hot meals served by GMP Catering on and off site for Op Protector. The operation involves multiple partners, such as the military, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and fire and ambulance services. They are all involved from the beginning of the planning stage. CI Worrell added: “I’ve helped plan three Op Protectors – in 2019, 2021 and 2023 – and I’ve already started to work on the 2025 conference. “There were no major incidents at this year’s conference, which is a mark of success – the team did an excellent job and all the hard work and planning paid off. “Working on Op Protector gives me real job satisfaction, and when it’s over and everything has gone well… I can breathe a sigh of relief!”
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Celebrating Black History Month at FHQ October saw the annual celebration of Black History Month, which honours and commemorates the significant contributions made by Black individuals throughout history. GMP’s Black and Asian Police Association (BAPA) marked Black History Month with a celebratory event held at FHQ on Friday 19 October. The event boasted a host of speakers, West African and West Indian food and engaging conversations. Kicking off at 10am, poet Deanna read out a couple of beautiful and elegant poems that focused on the struggles of the Windrush and celebrated ‘sisters’ of BHM. Guest speaker and historian Linford Sweeney – an Africancentred history educator, family history researcher, coach and author – then shared his insights into the rich history and contributions of the Black community. Linford, from Manchester, provided an educated display with a humorous twist, giving the audience a deeper insight into how far back Black people have been influencing the UK. After enjoying tasty West African and West Indian treats such as patties and coco bread, the attendees watched a short play performed by actor and director Marcus Hercules.
Incorporating a variety of dance and drama, the play revolved around the Windrush, particularly the loss of family and the struggles of the streets. Marcus amazed the audience with his energetic style in delivering an outstanding performance with a thought-provoking message. BAPA’s Deputy Chair Julian Addison said: “BAPA would like to thank the esteem guests for giving their time to attend FHQ and sharing their wealth of knowledge and talent. “BHM really hits home and makes you think of the struggles people went through, and highlights that everyone is equal. “This national celebration will continue to promote understanding of Black heritage and culture.” Black History Month has its roots in the United States. It was initiated in 1926 by Dr Carter G Woodson. Since then, it has evolved into an international celebration that allows us to reflect on the struggles, achievements and experiences of Black people worldwide. BHM has been celebrated in the UK since 1987, providing an opportunity to acknowledge the rich tapestry of Black heritage and culture that enriches our society.
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GMP the king of problem solving Greater Manchester Police is officially the best force in the UK when it comes to problem solving. Not only was GMP the only force to be crowned the winner of more than one of this year’s five Tilley Awards, Operation Vulcan was unveiled as the overall 2023 Tilley Award winner at the National Problem Solving Conference hosted by South Yorkshire Police in October. Since it was launched in November 2022 to tackle organised crime gangs embedded in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways, Op Vulcan has led to more than 220 arrests being made, over 200 counterfeit shops being closed down and more than 1,000 tonnes of counterfeit items – with an estimated street value of over £140 million – being seized. Chief Superintendent Emma Taylor, Head of the Prevention Branch and the Strategic Lead for Problem Solving, said: “Problem solving is crucial to modern policing, and the results of this year’s Tilley Awards proves that nobody is doing it better than GMP, which is something we should be hugely proud of. “The national awards were set up in 1999 by the Home Office to acknowledge and celebrate the best examples of problem solving in UK policing, with five winners and an overall winner announced every year. “Huge congratulations to the Op Vulcan team for deservedly being crowned this year’s overall Tilley Awards winner. The amazing work of the team has scuppered the vast amount of organised criminality in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways and led to those areas being completely transformed. “Congratulations also go to our other 2023 Tilley Award winner, a successful initiative that was launched in 2021 to reduce knife crime and robbery incidents at a housing estate in Bolton through changing the layout of the environment. The tactics – including a partnership approach to successfully applying for a public safety protection order and making environmental changes such as improving lighting, providing new fencing and alley gates – led to a 72 per cent reduction in robberies in the area. “I would also like to say well done to Operation Overspill for being our other problem solving initiative in the top 10 shortlist for this year’s Tilley Awards – no other force had more than one initiative in the top 10.
“Op Overspill has seen hundreds of people arrested and a significant reduction in robbery incidents since it was launched in May 2022 in partnership with Bolton Council to keep people safe in the town centre at night following an increase in reports of robberies, other crimes and anti-social behaviour. “This all highlights our commitment to becoming a police force with prevention and problem solving at our core, and the fantastic progress we have made in this regard. “We know that problem solving is very effective at reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and keeping our communities safe. “The initiatives that have received recognition via this year’s Tilley Awards are just some of many examples of GMP working with partner agencies to achieve excellent results.” Op Vulcan also won the Problem Solving category at our Chief Constable’s Annual Awards held in October. Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood, who leads the Op Vulcan team, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team, who deserve all the recognition they get. “It’s been a privilege over the past year to work with a fantastic team of dedicated officers and partner agencies who have given their all to tackle the organised crime associated with the counterfeit trade to create sustainable changes in Cheetham Hill and Strangeways. “Those areas feel completely different to where we were 12 months ago, and we hope to achieve similar success in Piccadilly Gardens now that Op Vulcan has been launched there.” Check out the Tilley Awards articles on the intranet for more details about Op Vulcan and our other nationally recognised problem solving initiatives.
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Wellbeing at Greater Manchester Police Wellbeing tour goes to Spec Ops The Wellbeing Team visited the Specialist Operations Branch in October to help its SPoCs raise the profile of wellbeing, the importance of looking after yourself and the support that is available. The mini Wellbeing on Tour event was organised by Spec Ops Inspector Craig Birkhead and his committee, who arranged for one of the Oscar Kilo vans to attend Openshaw, Clayton Brook and Eccles over three days. Partners attended from Police Mutual and No1 CopperPot Credit Union, to provide financial support and information. Our Occupational Health team carried out health checks over the three days. Code 9, GMP’s men’s mental health support group led by Sergeant Stuart Charlesworth and ex-Merseyside Police firearms officer Russell Fairclough, was also represented at the event. A coffee van was at all sites, offering freshly ground coffee, tea and hot chocolate whilst people spoke to partners and colleagues. Engagement levels escalated over the three days of the mini tour, with 50 members of the force engaging on day one, 103 on day two and 117 on the final day. That’s 221 individuals who now have more tools in their box to help them when they are struggling!
Grief first aiders coming soon The Wellbeing Team have been working closely with Cruse Bereavement Care to introduce a new volunteer role. Volunteers will be able to offer a one-to-one confidential listening ear to any member of the force going through a bereavement. Bereavement will impact us all, and having a safe space to talk about your feelings and the person/thing/future you have lost helps people to process their grief and work through the stages of it. There will soon be a cohort of individuals who are specifically trained and available to offer this support to colleagues. Please keep an eye on the Wellbeing intranet pages for further details, or speak to your Wellbeing SPoC. Awareness in November • Movember (all month): Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on average four-and-a-half years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. A growing number of men – around 10.8 million globally – are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men and across the world a man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 69 per cent of all suicides. You can get involved in Movember in many ways, from growing a moustache to arranging awareness talks and everything in between. Simply type ‘Movember’ into your search bar to find the dedicated website. • Lung Cancer Awareness Month (all month): This annual public health campaign was devised to increase awareness about lung cancer, its risk factors, early detection and treatment options. • Pancreatic Cancer Month (all month) • National Diabetes Month (all month) • Talk Money Week (Monday 6 to Thursday 10 November) • White Ribbon Day (Saturday 25 November): This sees the start of 16 days of action against violence against women and girls.
Supporting Op Protector The Wellbeing Team were based at the designated Refreshments Venue during Operation Protector, speaking to officers who were deployed to the policing operation for the Conservative Party Conference. Partners Police Mutual and Nuffield Health carried out over 50 health checks there as part of the wellbeing support. Thanks to everyone who engaged and spoke to the team about wellbeing and support.
Help is always at hand If you are struggling, there is always someone to talk to: • Peer support in GMP: Contact the Wellbeing Volunteer Co-ordinators to be put in contact with an individual who has lived experience of a situation you are currently going through. • Health Assured: You can call the employee assistance programme’s free, confidential helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 0800 028 0199. • Samaritans: A listening ear is always available on 123 116.
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Bolton based initiatives narrowly miss out on Tilley Awards Greater Manchester Police was honoured with two nominations at the Tilley Awards which celebrates problem solving in UK policing. Whilst Operation Vulcan went on to win, the other two nominations were both projects based across Bolton which continue to improve life in the local area for their communities. The first nomination, and narrowly missing out a finalist place, was Operation Overspill which was created in May 2022 to ensure the safety of Bolton’s night-time economy in response to persistent issues in the town centre. The operation, which includes the increase of highly visible police officers in and around hotspot areas has resulted in nearly 50 arrests for a wide range of crime, including drunk and disorderly, assault, robbery, theft, sexual assault, threats to kill, criminal damage and racially aggravated public disorder. It has also played a large part in the reduction of certain crime types, for example, Bolton’s town centre has seen a 67 per cent reduction in spiking offences and a 59 per cent reduction in robbery. Chief Inspector Justine Topping said: “The officers have continued to be
extremely invested in this operation to prevent and reduce crime in the town centre at night and, as a result, have made a good number of arrests and made some really positive changes which will inevitably help us serve the public in the best way we can. “We continue to promote this operation to ensure long term benefits are seen in Bolton in the near future.” The other finalist and narrowly missing out on the winning spot, was an initiative to tackle knife-point robberies within the Dingle Walk / Bryn Walk estate which sought to address a spike of knife-point robberies. One of the first improvements to be made to the area involved a partnership approach with environmental changes being made, including a successful application for a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), and improving lighting, providing new fencing, and alley gates. The main improvement concerned the concept of police engagement in the area and a determined effort from the beginning of the project has seen significant improvements in relationships between the police because of the work completed. Overall, the project resulted in a 72 per cent reduction in robberies.
Prevention Hub goes from strength to strength The Prevention Hub continues to undertake significant work to reduce the demand at Royal Bolton Hospital due to Missing From Home (MFH) and absconded patients. Chief Inspector Justine Topping said: “There are many components to our joint working, but one is that every MFH is reviewed, tracked, and discussed weekly with senior leaders at the hospital, during which we highlight learning, training, and feedback for staff members. “Others include working with Royal Bolton Hospital to review the process around where patients sit waiting for
a mental health assessment, and who sits with them. “Prevention Hub staff are also training Ward Managers and the new nurses, around risk management and the MFH policy. “This combined work has so far seen an overall reduction of 20 per cent since November 2022 until September 2023. “Lastly, we are currently in the process of reviewing and rewriting their MFH policy in conjunction with the Right Care Right Person team at Force so it supports the new changes due in April 2024.”
The Prevention Hub at Bolton is based on the second floor at DHQ.
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No safe store for shoplifters In October, neighbourhood teams across the Force supported our communities as part of Safer Business Action Week which saw them patrolling stores, arresting shoplifters, increasing their presence amongst the business community, and continuing ongoing engagement with store owners to tackle criminality around retail hotspots. Bolton’s Neighbourhood Team were quick to ensure their presence was felt across the district, starting the week visiting the home of a suspected shoplifter with a small cannabis grow found and seized, as well as further intelligence gathered regarding shoplifting in the area. Throughout the week, officers also conducted patrols, interviewed suspects, and kept the public up-to-date with their activity through social media channels and engaging with the communities whilst out and about. Officers also executed a warrant in Deane and seized a quantity of steroids, alongside several fake Rolex watches
and other medication suspected of being illicit. This was in direct response to community intelligence following reports of drugs being distributed from within the premises and only helped to reconfirm the officer’s commitment to their communities. Inspector Keiron Maddocks, who heads up the neighbourhood team, said: “As part of Safer Business Week, officers were committed to clamping down on shoplifting and all business crime across Bolton. “Dedicated teams were out and about during the week of action, and will continue to support stores to tackle shoplifters and those who abuse workers in our town. “Even though Safer Business Week is over, I know our officers will continue to support our communities. They will do this by ensuring we are continuously acting on intelligence from the public and showcasing the good work carried out via our social media channels and Bee in the Loop.”
Prolific Bolton burglar jailed following multi-force collaboration A burglar who had been causing considerable concern, not only in Bolton, but also across the district and neighbouring forces has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for a period totalling three years and six months after an investigation was launched into a number of linked burglaries. Alex Rigby (09/03/1982) of Stonesteads Way, Bolton was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Friday 13 October 2023 after an extensive investigation. Working in partnership with neighbouring forces, GMP, alongside Lancashire Constabulary, Merseyside Police and North Wales Police all played a key part in bringing Rigby to justice. Rigby was initially arrested in midApril 2023 by Lancashire Constabulary in relation to a number of burglary and driving offences which occurred between 12 – 16 April 2023.
During the extensive investigation Rigby was also identified by Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police and North Wales Police as being involved in further burglary offences in their respective force areas. Bolton’s Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team led the investigation for GMP and arrested Rigby a month later in May 2023 after his blood had been found inside the address of one of his victims. After collating evidence, Rigby was found responsible for seven burglary offences in the Greater Manchester area between February 2023 and March 2023, where he targeted his victims’ unoccupied homes during the day using the tactic of smashing the rear glass door - stealing valuable and sentimental items. As a result of the collaborative work by all forces involved, he was ultimately convicted for over 40 offences. PC Sam Burgess of Bolton’s Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team
said: “This has been a detailed investigation that involved working in partnership between multiple police forces. “I am immensely proud to be part of this investigation and the tireless work that officers from across the country have been involved in. This partnership collaboration helped us to achieve a great result at court and shows a clear message that we take these offences seriously, and are determined to tackle crime that affects everyone, be they a part of our community or further afield.”