The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has flagged Bolton as a key frontier for where the force is turning the tide against crime.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that the crime rate in Bolton is well above the national average.

But GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson has drawn attention to progress being made in the borough.

CC Watson said: “As part of my commitment to investigate and solve crime, I also pledged to doubling the number of arrests made and as of May 2022 figures show our arrest number is 61 per cent higher than of May 2021 – the highest they have been for two years.

The Bolton News:

Bolton Police Station on Scholey Street

“To better accommodate this and the criminal justice process, we have reopened the 18 cell Bolton custody suite which is now used full-time to increase capacity, and in support of our renewed focus on arresting offenders and investigating crime, an additional 28 custody sergeants have been recruited.

“Plans to refurbish other custody suites and uplift criminal justice units are well underway.”

The Bolton News:

Operation Avro was launched across Bolton at the end of last month

Bolton also hosted Operation Avro at the end of June, a large-scale crackdown on crime that has targeted each Greater Manchester borough in turn.

This saw 44 suspects arrested with, £80,000 worth of stolen goods recovered and large amounts of cash and suspected class A drugs seized.

CC Watson added: “I am confident by now you will have seen Operation Avro taking place in your local community, our highly visible day of action in which our resources in that district are aligned for 24 hours of targeted action tackling the issues, and more importantly, the criminals blighting your neighbourhood.

“We will have shortly executed this operation in every district across Greater Manchester with optimal results.

“As of June 2022, 290 individuals have been arrested as part of Operation Avro, with 111 search warrants undertaken, 713 motorists reported for motoring offences, and 98 vehicles seized or prohibited from the road demonstrating our active approach to tackling those who treat our roads like racetracks.”