A CHRISTMAS crime crackdown resulted in 20 people being arrested in Bolton — and 136 across Greater Manchester.

The police's Operation Bauble, which spanned 12 days in December, was launched to tackle the crime increase that is historically seen in the period leading up to and over Christmas.

Each of Greater Manchester's 12 police divisions was allocated a "day of action", which in Bolton happened on December 16, when 20 were arrested.

Of those, 5 people were arrested in the evening and another 15 earlier in the day.

During the morning, eight people were arrested, including a 33-year-old man at a house in Brandwood Street, Deane.

Police found a cannabis farm with 14 plants and an estimated street value of £7,000, when they arrested the man and took him into custody.

A man and woman were also arrested in Winster Drive, Breightmet, after police found cannabis being dried.

Police said the high-profile days of action were intended to target a range of crimes, including domestic abuse, burglary and traffic offences.

During the operations, more than 800 police officers raided addresses with support from volunteer special constables and specialist units including mounted, traffic and tactical aid units.

Traffic police also seized 35 vehicles for a variety offences including driving with no tax or insurance after nearly 30 breath tests were carried out at the roadside.

Supt Craig Thompson, from the police's specialist operations branch, said: “Officers worked tirelessly over the festive period to keep criminals off our streets and were hot on the heels on those who intended to ruin Christmas for others.

“Operation Bauble sends a clear message to criminals that their actions will not be tolerated, regardless of the time of year.

“The good people of Greater Manchester can be assured that this is not a one-off.

"We will not be sitting back and allowing a small minority to cause misery in our communities and have similar operations planned throughout the next 12 months.”