ONE HUNDRED extra officers have been drafted in to help police Greater Manchester over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The additional staff will be brought in from four neighbouring forces to help deal with the "exceptional demand".

Officers are trying to balance crime levels returning to "business as usual" alongside a number of coronavirus-related calls according to Baroness Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Crime levels have bounced back from a drop of 25-30 per cent during lockdown, with nearly 600 covid-19 incidents reported to Greater Manchester Police last weekend.

Residents have been urged to stick to the guidelines to help police keep control of the situation.

Baroness Hughes said: "I think it’s very difficult for police at the moment in terms of trying to strike the right balance.

"They don’t want to move to enforcement straight away, they try and encourage people and explain and avoid enforcement measures where possible but in some instances it isn’t.

"Please don’t have large gatherings in your gardens or your houses. Please comply with these restrictions as they exist at the moment and help us to keep people safe.

"Last weekend we had mutual aid provided by four other police forces, and of course there’s a financial cost to that because we have to pay for those officers.

"As we go into a bank holiday weekend we are prepared to continue that level of operation in relation to social gatherings and businesses."

Last weekend, 400 house parties or indoor gatherings were reported to GMP, with a significant number" of fixed penalty notices issued to those in attendance.

A house in Farnworth had a closure order served after 50 people attended a party on Saturday night which saw four people arrested.

The police and local authority partners also visited 400 licensed premises and businesses last weekend, the majority of those were found to be complying with current guidelines.