Wigan District Brief - June 2024

THE VOICE OF GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE

WIGAN · JUNE 2024

52 ARRESTS FOR WIGAN AVRO

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There is sometimes a belief that although Wigan is the largest district in GMP, there is not much of a threat from serious and organised crime (SOC) and so not much for the Challenger team to do.

Whilst it is true historically; Wigan has not seen the more traditional style organised criminal gangs (OCGs) disputes that some of the more centralised districts have seen, the threat to our communities from SOC and OCGs is very real, high risk and we must employ a range of tactics to tackle those threats.

Wigan is the only district that has borders with three different forces with Lancashire to the north, Merseyside to the west, Cheshire to the south and locally we also share borders with Bolton and Salford districts. The ease of access from the M58, M6 and A580 means Wigan suffers from the risk of outer force OCGs embedding in our communities.

In fact, Wigan’s number one SOC threat is county lines gangs from neighbouring forces operating on our district and doing so without conflict from Greater Manchester based OCGs purely because of our locality in Greater Manchester.

It’s just too far for GM OCGS to come and too difficult for them to hold without substantial infrastructure and support.

One of the pivotal points to our plan is the creation of the Wigan Challenger serious and organised crime strategic partnership board and this is discussed further on page 11 of this Challenger themed district brief.

Wigan Challenger’s work tackling SOC continues to go from strength to strength because of our whole district approach and we will continue to push the message to the people of Wigan and Leigh that we will be relentless in our pursuit of organised criminals, their families and anybody that benefits from their criminality.

Thank you for everything that you do., Detective Inspector Pat Wood

JUNE 2024

Operation Avro makes a return to a very rainy Wigan The high-visibility forcewide initiative returned to the borough for a very rainy day on 23 May, which saw GMP engage in activities through proactive policework, tackling the issues which matter most to the community.

A total of 52 arrests took place for a variety of offences including burglary, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, breaches of a court order, and possession of firearms.

Early morning warrants in Platt Bridge and Hindley Green, recovered large amounts of cash, drugs and weapons.

A total of £44,000 was seized during the day of action, with one warrant uncovering a loaded firearm 30 rounds of ammunition and a silencer.

A traffic operation in Leigh resulted in a total of 163 offences being recorded, with 71 traffic offences, 40 speeding offences, one vehicle seizure and one arrest.

Joint premises visits were conducted

with Trading Standards, with three businesses targeted resulting in 7,100 illegal cigarettes and 79 illegal vapes recovered, with a value of £3,000.

Working to help inspire the next generation of community protectors, our mini police interviewed Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle as he sat in the hot seat at St Catherine’s C of E Primary School.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: “Our officers and staff deployed across Wigan in response to listening to the communities needs regarding drug dealing, anti-social behaviour, burglary and many other issues that matter most to local people.

“We conducted several warrants in the area and throughout the day, through our roadside operations, multiagency visits and engagements with local schools, ensuring a successful day of proactive policing activity across the district.”

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Child protection conference promotes collaboration and learning

On Monday 13 May, GMP brought together key partners, agencies and subject matter experts to share valuable insights into how we can collectively improve and strengthen our response to child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester, ensuring best practice and effective collaboration are adopted across the whole force for all our communities to benefit from.

Since the formation in 2012 of Project Phoenix, a pioneering partnership collaboration between policing, local authorities and third sector partners aimed at protecting young people from abuse and exploitation, GMP and Manchester City Council have put a renewed focus on working in an effective partnership to ensure the delivery of outstanding service to victims and survivors. This was further refined by the establishment of the Complex Safeguarding Hub in 2018, which colocates key agencies; the launch of Operation Green Jacket in 2019; and the publication of ‘An assurance review of Operation Augusta’ in 2020.

Under Operation Green Jacket, which investigates offending against vulnerable young people in the South Manchester area in the early 2000s, GMP’s Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) and the city council collaborate to identify and trace victims and suspects, safeguard and support survivors, and pursue offenders. To date, the operation has resulted in 56 arrests.

As a partnership, we are fully

committed to protecting young people from harm and supporting them when they need our help the most. By colocating specially trained detectives and health and social care services, we have developed a comprehensive understanding of how each agency can contribute to our fight against child sexual exploitation, and ensure we are well positioned to use our collective powers to yield positive results sooner.

Our proactive teams focus on closing gateways to exploitation by identifying and engaging with vulnerable young people to prevent harm and prosecute offenders.

The partnership also regularly meets with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Operation Hydrant programme and the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), to ensure that the service delivered to victims and survivors is reflective of nationally recognised best practice.

ACC Sarah Jackson said: “What we have learnt through Operation Green Jacket, and from our continued work to combat child sexual exploitation in the city centre, is now cascading across our teams in Greater Manchester.

In recent years, we’ve developed a robust framework, introduced district safeguarding hubs, and our relationships with partners, and the ways we work together, are going from strength to strength. The strength of these relationships not only elevates Greater Manchester as having one of the best responses to this issue, but also means that more victims are having their voices heard.

“Only through transparency and thorough review can we truly learn from the past, and I believe we have done that. I have full confidence in our teams of dedicated and passionate officers and staff who are all working incredibly hard to get justice for what victims have experienced.”

DCI Zed Ali, of the CSE MIT, said: “As a partnership, we have done a great deal of learning since the early 2000s – and, in fact, since 2012. We are committed to learning from the past and to putting victims and survivors at the centre of our investigations; so we developed comprehensive victim engagement strategies, which are considerate of the traumatic impact

these crimes can have in both the short and long terms.

“Before contact is made with a survivor, a multi-agency team – including subject matter experts – carefully considers what each agency knows about the individual to ensure they are offered a relevant package of support from the outset. Some choose to engage with the investigation immediately, while others are unsure or feel unable to at that time – in these cases, we work with them to agree next steps, but our message is always that we’re ready when they are, that they’ll be listened to, and that they’ll be taken seriously.”

Paul Marshall, Strategic Director for Children’s Services and Education at Manchester City Council, said: “We know that when child sexual exploitation and grooming first came to public prominence in the early 2000s, they were a national issue which was not fully understood. We also know, from the numerous reviews that have taken place in recent years, that more could and should have been done to protect many children.

“We have learnt so much since then, individually and collectively, and that learning has transformed our approach to the exploitation of children – from the structures we operate within to the way we support and listen to children and young people.

“We actively use information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, to enable staff to go looking for problems rather than waiting for a problem to emerge, while at the same time across our services we promote and encourage staff to develop a trusted relationship with young people, so they know we are there for them.

“This conference is about sharing that hard-won knowledge and examples of best practice. But it is also a reminder that we can never drop our guard and must always strive to keep improving.”

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JUNE 2024

Operation Prosper launch GMP is recognised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) as the national policing lead for the Armed Forces Covenant: a national pledge to ensure fair treatment for those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families.

As a result of this, in April the force received an invitation from the Cabinet Office to attend the launch of Operation Prosper at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon.

The operation, a wraparound service funded by a £2.1million investment from the UK government to improve employment opportunities for military veterans and those leaving His Majesty’s Armed Forces, was launched by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP – himself a former soldier.

Representing not only GMP but UK policing as a whole, GMP’s tactical lead for the Armed Forces Covenant Insp Jim

Jones attended the event to learn more about the Operation Prosper scheme; both in terms of how the operation could benefit external recruitment into policing and its potential use to support vulnerable veterans in our communities. While at the event, he was afforded the opportunity to speak with the prime minister about the potential of increasing the pay scale at which highly skilled veterans joining the police force could start – currently, even skilled and experienced military veterans moving into policing roles are commonly expected to take a pay cut.

Insp Jones said: “It was an honour to have been invited to the launch of this important scheme, which will help improve the lives of many who have served in His Majesty’s Armed Forces; and I was delighted to have been given the opportunity to raise the issues of pay for veterans joining the police service. I look forward to what we might achieve going forward.”

NXGEN Advisory Board launches across the force In April 2024 GMP launched the NXGEN Advisory Board: a new initiative which aims to help GMP gain valuable insights from those aged 25 and under across the force.

In December, colleagues under the age of 25 were invited to apply for NXGEN, an innovative platform offering individuals the opportunity to develop leadership, communication and strategic skills; as well as elevating professional development and facilitating meaningful connections between senior leaders and future managers.

With the application and sifting processes complete, on Friday 19 April this year the 12 successful candidates who had applied for the NXGEN Advisory Board all met with ACC Matt Boyle to discuss causes they would like to see implemented across the force, and to establish what they can expect to see happen with NXGEN over the next 12 months.

The board members hail from a spectrum of branches and districts; from Custody branch and Corporate Communications to the FCCO, CoM and a number of other districts around Greater Manchester, each representative brings their own unique insights and experiences to the table.

ACC Boyle said: “Empowering the next generation isn’t just about handing them the reins – it’s about nurturing their potential, amplifying their voices and bridging the gap between experience and innovation. Our first meeting saw some great introductions and a deeper understanding of roles

and responsibilities across the force. It also enabled me to understand what our NXGEN board members are passionate about, and how they can help influence change across the force.”

The board will be meeting on a monthly basis, which will see them engage with senior leaders of the force and the wider community; as well as reviewing, developing, and implementing strategic initiatives aimed at advancing organisational goals and driving positive change within our organisation and the communities we serve.

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GMP and partners share expertise to fight serious organised crime On Wednesday 22 May, Greater Manchester Police came together with other regional forces, academics, third sector and local authority partners to learn best practice approaches to tackling serious organised crime (SOC).

The event was hosted by the University of Huddersfield and sponsored by GMP in collaboration with the police forces of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Merseyside. Special guest speakers included Deputy Mayor for Greater Manchester Combined Authority Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for West Yorkshire Combined Authority Alison Lowe, West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Carl Galvin, and officers from regional forces including GMP, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria and North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Representatives from St Giles Trust were invited to speak about the charity’s work in helping young people – particularly women and girls – who have been exploited by criminals, while a presentation from the University of Huddersfield’s National Police Doctoral College highlighted the importance of evidence-based policing in combatting SOC. DCI Claire McGuire, lead officer for Programme Challenger, GMP’s partnership response to serious organised crime, said: “We recognise that working in partnership is key to supporting and protecting communities and I am pleased this groundbreaking event was attended by so many colleagues and partners. It shows the dedication at all levels and the importance of the issue.

“The purpose of the event was to increase collaboration across the Northwest in how we tackle SOC, raise awareness of the risks, challenge our

thinking, and identify best practice and opportunities to learn from one another.

“Serious organised crime manifests itself in different ways across the country, but it all comes from the same source. It often lies in our neighbourhoods and is utterly devastating. It tears apart communities and families and destroys lives.

“It is the drug dealing on our streets; the misery caused by addiction; the children who go missing again and again; the fights and violence.

Organised crime is relentless, and we need a robust and coordinated response to dismantle the threat. The discussions had today are a starting point and have delved into some of the best operations taking place.

“Serious organised crime is, however, not a problem we can arrest our way out of. We need partners, the public, the private and volunteering sector, as well as communities to work with the police, report crime and speak out when they believe someone is in trouble or needs help.”

Kate Green, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said: “Organised crime groups are determined, ruthless and focused, which means we need the very best from policing to be able to tackle the challenges that serious organised crime present, effectively targeting, disrupting and dismantling these groups and the threats they pose.

“Our neighbourhood policing teams are key to this: they are direct conduits between local communities and the police; they see the manifestation of serious and organised crime and its impact; and they have the relationships to take a problem-solving approach to tackling the issue as early as possible.

“But it’s not just about policing – we must work collaboratively with other agencies and with communities themselves to ensure we are using all the means at our disposal to tackle serious organised crime and its causes.

In Greater Manchester we are doing that through Programme Challenger, which brings together all the different partners who are working to disrupt and dismantle the individuals and networks committing serious crime.”

Dr John Synnott, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the University’s National Police Doctoral College at the University of Huddersfield, said: “The University of Huddersfield was proud to support this event in collaboration with GMP. One of the aims of the National Police Doctoral College is to promote the role that research can have, not just in strategic decision-making within senior policing ranks, but on the frontline, for those who are working within communities. I think this event struck a nice balance between showcasing the impact research can have as well as providing a platform for police to demonstrate the innovative work they are doing themselves.”

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The past month has seen GMP’s command team hit the road to address officers and staff across Greater Manchester at the Chief Constable’s 2024 roadshow events.

More than 4,000 audience members attended the eight events, held in Salford, Bolton and Manchester city centre between late April and the first half of May. Along with a video roundup and slideshow showcasing the highlights of the 2023-24 policing year, they heard speeches by Chief Constable Stephen Watson, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods and Chief Resource Officer Lee Rawlinson, celebrating the successes of the past year and outlining plans for the next.

The Chief speaks

Addressing colleagues from around the force, the Chief Constable outlined GMP’s ‘extraordinary’ journey over the past three years, noting: “Three years ago, we were running away from demand and had started to make silly decisions on the basis that we’d convinced ourselves we couldn’t cope – and none of that was your fault.

“When I first came to GMP, I struggled to see how this brilliant force full of brilliant people was failing chronically. It was nothing to do with you or your talent; it was the fault of senior leadership.

It all looked bleak, despite the inherent quality of all of you.”

The Chief highlighted the rapid and comprehensive turnaround made by the force in the three years between being placed in special measures in December 2020 and becoming the most improved force in the country following its most recent inspection

by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in 2023.

“What you are achieving is unprecedented,” he declared. “It matters not where you come from in the organisation. None of what we’re talking about could have been achieved without every single facet of this organisation pulling in the same direction.”

In the last year, GMP has solved more than 36,000 crimes

and arrested around 64,000 people. Crime across the region has fallen by 6.1%; with neighbourhood crime down by 15%, burglary down by 24%, and homicide at its lowest in 10 years.

More than £15m has been seized from serious organised crime, with a substantial proportion reinvested in community initiatives.

“Our plan is underpinned by the basics,” the Chief told his audience. “Why would we be any more ambitious than simply wanting to do the basics brilliantly all the time? Our plan is working – and focussing on the basics is now in vogue across the country, because GMP has done it so successfully.

“It is testament to you and your colleagues for what you do – and while of course I’m talking about the police work GMP does on the street, catching and locking up bad guys, I do not want to suggest that it’s all about what goes on at the front end; because that could not happen without the contributions of all of the staff at the back end of the organisation.

“It doesn’t matter where you work in this organisation: this is your achievement. It is an immense achievement; it’s something of which you should be legitimately proud. I am exceptionally grateful. Thank you for all that you’re doing.”

He concluded: “We’re not celebrating the end of this journey; we’re celebrating a tangible step towards where we want to be: the best force in the country.”

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DCC Terry Woods

CRO Lee Rawlinson

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods highlighted the importance of quality, standards, and behaviour (QSB) as the force’s key priority for the next 12 months.

DCC Woods emphasised the significance of treating both colleagues and members of the public with courtesy and respect, saying: “I want everyone who interacts with GMP to receive the treatment I would want for my friends or family.”

He went on to underscore the importance of maintaining high standards of behaviour and taking personal pride in appearance. “The return on the £6m investment in new uniform is that those of you who get given that uniform looks smart; you look after it and you enhance that posture outside. You’re getting the best, so make the effort to look the best and to show your standards and personal commitment by wearing the uniform with pride.”

The Deputy Chief Constable commended members of the force for their increased willingness to report misconduct.

“I’m hugely grateful that in the last 12 months, we’ve had a big increase in people coming forward and calling out bad behaviour – not only those who are personally affected by it, but team members who have finally said: enough is enough, we’re not having it anymore,” he said.

As part of the QSB initiative, every member of GMP is tasked with creating a personal plan detailing how they will contribute to improving quality, standards and behaviour within the force.

The Deputy Chief Constable encouraged everyone to adapt these principles to their specific roles and responsibilities, ensuring a unified effort towards achieving the force’s goals.

“We’re midway through an amazing journey, and it is a real honour to be part of it,” he commented. “We are genuinely massively grateful for the effort everyone has put in.”

Chief Resources Officer Lee Rawlinson told audience members that the force has made significant strides towards improving its workforce and technological capabilities, demonstrating its commitment to progress and innovation and ensuring that it is well-equipped to serve the community effectively while providing excellent value for money.

One of the key areas of focus has been recruitment and retention. “We’ve actually recruited about 2,000 people – if you think of the people who’ve moved on and left the organisation to replace some of those, that’s a phenomenal amount of work to bring those people in,” he explained. “Meanwhile, our efforts to retain officers and staff who were planning to leave the force have collectively not only saved GMP £30 million, but have also preserved a total of 1,300 years of valuable experience.”

GMP’s investments in modern equipment and technology have resulted in the deployment of 4,600 new radios, more than 10,000 new mobile phones and 3,860 bodyworn cameras.

These tools have significantly improved communication, evidence-gathering and overall policing capabilities. In addition to these technological advancements, GMP has also focused on modernising its fleet. The CRO noted: “We’ve replaced 200 vehicles and added an extra 113, including 30 vans and more response vehicles. GMP now has the most modern fleet of all UK police forces.”

Emphasising the significance of efficiency across the force, the CRO reminded the audience: “We must balance our budgets and balance our books. This is public money. We have to show that we are caring about it and we are spending it wisely. Demonstrating value for money is crucial to maximising outcomes for everything we do.”

Star videographer’s work lauded forcewide Attendees at the Chief Constable’s roadshow events were treated to a short video showcasing the year in policing, created by the youngest member of the Creative Media Imaging (CMI) team.

The video, an exciting, poignant compilation of work from the past year, has garnered praise across the force – from junior officers and staff all the way to the Chief Constable, who personally credited 25-year-old videographer Sam Williams at each roadshow event.

Sam joined GMP’s customer services team in September 2022 before moving across to CMI in February 2023. Her supervisor, CMI team leader Chris Oldham, said: “We’re all very proud of Sam. She’s incredibly talented and that shows in every piece of work she does, but it also warrants recognition that she’s an exceptionally hard worker – she goes above and beyond, going out to jobs at 4am, taking on projects that would daunt a filmmaker with twice her experience.

“In her short time with us Sam has gone from strength to strength. The roadshow video has been her most recent triumph, and it certainly won’t be the last – she is a credit to her team and to the force.

“Each of the CMI team – Eddie Garvey, Geoff Lingard and Lisa Marks – has plenty of reasons to be proud of the work they do every day. They are each deeply talented artists with outstanding work ethics, and the team dynamic is very supportive and positive. It’s an honour to work alongside them.”

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Volunteers’ Week: Employer Supported Policing

This Volunteers’ Week, 1 to 7 June, we are highlighting GMP’s Citizens in Policing and informal volunteers across the force; as well as the opportunities afforded by volunteering with GMP. Did you know that GMP gives police staff and officers additional paid leave

to undertake their voluntary duties or training?

The Employer Supported Policing (ESP) programme is a national scheme owned by the Home Office. It is a partnership between employers, employees, the police and communities whereby special constables and police support volunteers are given paid time off from their places of work in order to train and undertake volunteer policing duties. To date, around 405 organisations have joined the national ESP scheme and permit their staff paid time off for volunteering as with their

local police force.

Hannah Rees, of the GMP Prevention branch’s Citizens in Policing team, said: “Volunteering for GMP, in a completely different role to your paid job, is a great way to develop new skills, meet new people, and support our communities – and what’s more the force gives you additional paid leave to do it!”

Police staff who are either special constables or police support volunteers, and police officers who are police support volunteers, are entitled to an additional 12 days’ paid leave.

Volunteers’ Week: meet Special Constable Niall Whitehead Volunteers’ Week is dedicated to recognising and appreciating the invaluable contributions of individuals who selflessly volunteer their time across the force.

This Volunteers’ Week, we spoke to Special Sergeant Niall Whitehead, Head of Learning and Skills Development at GMP. Having volunteered since 2021, Niall shares how he got into the Special Constabulary and what a day in the life of a special sergeant can look like.

What did you before you volunteered at GMP? I have always been very communityfocused; at the heart of everything I do, I want to put people first. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I volunteered as a community responder via my employer and really enjoyed supporting members of the community in their time of need.

At this point, I saw an advert to become a special constable at GMP. Policing was something that always interested me; however, my career path had taken me down a different route.

I found the premise of being a special constable interesting in a number of ways – I could support my local community, but also utilise my skills from paid employment to support and create a different dynamic in policing.

What does a ‘normal’ day look like for you when you volunteer at GMP? No two days are the same volunteering as a special constable. I’m currently

based at Greenheys Police Station, which – while I may be biased – I think is the best station in the force. I support the local neighbourhood team so an average day will be booking on, attending a briefing, being given tasks, conducting local patrols and assisting the response team when needed.

What has been the most memorable part of your role so far?

As a special constable, I have been given so many opportunities to attend various events and undertake continuing professional development (CPD). I have taken part in traffic operations, public order events and local policing, to name just a few, and was even fortunate enough to attend a firearms CPD event on the National Firearms Instructor course.

So many people I’ve encountered throughout my time volunteering have had a positive impact on me, supporting me to learn and grow in my career, but I’d have to give a special mention to PC Ingham who tutored me for my first couple of months.

If I had to pick a single memorable event it would be the Caribbean Carnival. Last year, the silver commander approved the attendance of the Special Constabulary to support the nighttime neighbourhood side of the operation. This really was a test of all the skills and knowledge I have acquired throughout my time volunteering and

allowed me to do what I love most: neighbourhood policing. Working with regular officers and being treated as part of the team is what makes me continue to volunteer.

What advice would you offer anyone considering volunteering at GMP? The key advice I would give is that if you have a passion for supporting people, making a difference, and really want to give back to your local community, then apply. I won’t lie, it can be challenging, but the sense of achievement and fulfilment you get is second to none.

You meet some of the most amazing and inspiring people along the way and some will become close friends.

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DEMS supermarket sweep: more reasons to use Axon Community Request

Morrisons has become the 40th major retailer to start using the Axon Community Request function, which enables digital evidence to be securely stored, viewed, and shared for future investigative purposes, to share CCTV footage from its stores with GMP. The retailer joins an ever-growing list of businesses and organisations agreeing to provide evidence digitally, rather than via traditional media, since the introduction of the platform in 2023. The partnership is not limited to commercial enterprises: public organisations including the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and local authorities have also adopted the platform.

Each digital request sent using Axon Community Request saves an officer or staff member having to travel to collect an item, return to a police building and enter it into the property store for processing. Once an item of digital evidence has been uploaded, it can immediately be shared as part of a case with just a few clicks, rather than having to be transferred to physical formats.

Axon Community Request provides users with a number of significant benefits: • The function saves officers and staff considerable amounts of time.

• Digital evidence is secure and auditable.

• Reduced need for officers to travel to retrieve CCTV. • Victims and witnesses can now upload evidence directly to the system.

• Users can obtain and share audio from 999 calls.

• Users can share all digital evidence (including audio, visual and PDF

documents) with other forces and the Crown Prosecution Service.

• Eliminates the need to book CDs and USBs into the property system, allowing officers to work more efficiently and effectively.

April 2024 has seen the highest amount yet of community requests sent to victims for digital evidence to be uploaded directly to GMP’s evidence. com webpage: • Over 5,700 requests have been sent out to victims, witnesses or organisations.

• Over 4,060 of these were returned with evidential footage, equating to over 70% compliance with requests.

This huge increase in the use of our digital evidence management system (DEMS) illustrates one of the many advantages garnered by the continued improvement of GMP’s IT systems and processes as part of our Plan on A Page.

The following retailers have now adopted the Axon Community Request function: • 18 Montrose • Aldi • Argos • Asda • B & M Bargains • Base • Boots • Choice • Co-op • Cricket • Cruise • Evans Cycles • Everlast Fitness Clubs • Flannels • Frasers Group • Game • Gieves Hawkes • Giulio

• Halfords • Home Bargains • House of Fraser • Iceland • Jack Wills • Lidl • Marks & Spencer • Matalan • Morrisons • New Look • Next • Poundland • The Range • Sainsbury’s • Savers • Sports Direct • Tesco • Tessuti • Tk Maxx • Trafford Centre CCTV • Tui • USC Work is ongoing with other retailers and local authorities to ensure their systems are compatible so that we can expand the use of the platform even further.

As we integrate DEMS into our other systems, it is extremely important to ensure that digital evidence is categorised and referenced correctly.

Where the digital evidence relates to a crime, you should set the evidence ID as the specific crime number relating to the investigation and use the title to describe what the footage relates to. This will allow the footage to automatically transfer into the evidence.com case, which will contain all digital evidence linked to that matching crime number.

If you have any questions about DEMS please contact the Digital Policing Programme via DPPCommunications@ gmp.police.uk.

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Wellbeing at Greater Manchester Police Free healthy eating course Public Health Collaboration is offering a free eight-week course with resources, advice, and support to educate and empower users on how and why to eat healthily.

Among other topics, course attendees will learn how chronic disease can be prevented by maintaining good metabolic health; gain further insight into diabetes, high blood pressure, and brain fog; and pick up tips on how to lose weight.

Each session will be run via Microsoft Teams every Thursday at 7pm, starting on 6 June. A pre-recorded version will be available for those who cannot attend live.

If you would like to access this course, please e-mail wellbeingvolunteercoordinators@gmp.police.uk, who will forward you an invitation series for the eight sessions. The course is not limited to GMP staff, so please feel free to share the session links with anyone you know who might benefit but does not work for GMP. New process for accessing physiotherapy support through Ben Fund Members of the Ben Fund can no longer apply for residential physiotherapy treatment directly.

All applications for physio support will now all go through outpatient services, which can be undertaken at St Michael’s Lodge or at Progress House. During the assessment, the physiotherapist will decide if the individual would benefit from an inpatient stay and progress if appropriate.

The Ben Fund is an independent charity dedicated to supporting and caring for the police from recruitment into retirement. It supports serving officers from Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Wales and

the National Crime Agency; as well as retired officers from these and previous forces amalgamated within the constituent forces who are in a condition of need, hardship, or distress.

For more information on The Ben Fund, including forms to apply for treatment, please visit its website: www.thebenfund. co.uk.

Wellbeing resources Policing can be stressful, draining and at times traumatic.

If you have any concerns or feel you need additional support, please contact your line manager or any of the internal and external resources outlined below.

Internal Support is available from our staff associations and support networks and our force chaplains.

You can contact GMP’s welfare support facility at Welfare.

Support@gmp.police.uk or by calling 0161 856 4811.

The Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service can be reached via OccupationalHealth@gmp.police.uk or by phone on 0161 856 5005.

You can make a referral to TRiM, GMP’s trauma risk management peer support programme, at TRiM@gmp.police.uk.

External Health Assured offers a confidential 24/7 counselling service which you can call on 0800 028 0199. You can also reach Health Assured through the Wisdom service (https://wisdom. healthassured.org) using the unique code MHA189009.

Current and retired officers can contact the GMP Federation Group Insurance Counselling Line on 0800 177 7894.

Delivery of the Victims’ Code in GMP victimandwitnessinformation.org.uk/your-rights/as-a-victim.

If you have any questions or wish to contact us, please reach out to interim Victim Services strategic partnership development lead Louise Sever at Louise.Sever@gmp.police.uk.

The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime in England and Wales (commonly shortened to ‘Victims’ Code’) is a statutory government document which applies to all criminal justice agencies in England and Wales.

Under this code, those who have suffered harm as a direct result of a criminal offence – including physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss – are entitled to expect certain rights that must be delivered by GMP. You can view the Victims’ Code in full at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thecode-of-practice-for-victims-of-crime.

A condensed version of the Code, informing victims of crime what they are entitled to expect, can be viewed at https://

Victim Services coordinators Greater Manchester Police is the only force in the UK to have dedicated Victim Services coordinators, who support police and external partners to understand and deliver the tenets of the Victims’ Code. For more than six years, the Victim Services coordinator team has provided support to district and branch commanders in identifying and addressing gaps in victim service and support. Working in collaboration with internal and external partners, they assist with quality assurance and frontline delivery to victims and communities affected by crime.

Victim satisfaction Optimum delivery of the Victims’ Code is linked to customer satisfaction and public confidence. To maximise our offering in this space, there is a network of district and branch satisfaction volunteers who work in tandem with the Victim Services coordinators to action tailored improvement plans. This internal partnership ensures GMP considers internal and external sources of feedback as well as our own internal performance metrics. For more information, please contact satisfaction network lead Claire Mayle at Claire.Mayle@gmp.police.uk.

11 THE BRIEF

JUNE 2024

Introducing Wigan Challenger team Across each district are a team of people who are tackling serious and organised crime (SOC) head on across Greater Manchester.

The team at Wigan are no exception and they consist of: • • • • • • • •

Detective Inspector Pat Wood Detective Sergeant Simon Monks Detective Constable Matt Higham Police Constable Andy Halsall Police Constable Matt Threlfall Police Constable Carl Davies Police Constable Katie Barker Operational Support Officer Nicole Booth

Wigan Challenger Serious and Organised Crime Strategic Partnership Board This monthly meeting is attended by several partner agencies including Wigan Council, GMFRS, Probation, UK Borders & Immigration, Department for Work & Pensions, Chamber of Commerce, and several other third sector and charity organisations.

Through this meeting information and intelligence is shared and targets for enforcement action agreed. This approach allows us to be pragmatic as we can look at the best agency to take the lead on any investigation and

even look at inter-agency trapping of offenders, for example you have either committed fraud, tax evasion or money laundering so pick a guilty plea for one!

This then leads to us maximising the use of POCA and the recovery of assets from criminals.

By making SOC a whole district problem we have been able to bring in the ‘achilles heel’ tactic to support the work undertaken by Challenger by using support from our neighbourhood teams in the relentless targeting of organised criminals and their families.

The process taps into the following; however, it should be noted that this is a growing arena, and the list is developing: • Motor Vehicle Insurance Fraud • Benefit Fraud • Energy Provider Fraud • Non-payment of Fines • Bailiff Warrants • TV Licensing • Probation Service • Vehicle Registration & Condition and Driving Licences Since launching our new SOC 4P plan, we have already seen several successes on the district. For example, Op Portlock which was the district’s response to an area in Wigan which was identified as being the highest risk in GMP for SOC vulnerability, which manifested in

Merseyside OCG’s operating county lines in the community.

Through the partnership board, Challenger enacted the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ strategy, using the ‘achilles heel process fully supported by the District Intelligence Unit, the local neighbourhood team, and Merseyside Police, we were able to drastically reduce the threat to over half in just six months through several police and partner led enforcement and partnership community engagement activities.

This is where it becomes more difficult for our Challenger team to tackle the OCG threat as they aren’t generally from Wigan or even Greater Manchester. To combat this, we have built very close working relationships with Merseyside Police and NWROCU, and implemented our new SOC 4P plan with the vision to make Wigan the most hostile environment for organised criminals and their families to live and operate in by taking a whole district, local to global approach to tackling SOC. Work continues today led by the local neighbourhood team to transform and protect the community and to prevent any OCG’s being able to embed themselves again in and amongst our most vulnerable residents.

Proactive work by Wigan officer leads to recovery of loaded firearm Across our districts, officers put their lives on the line every single day to ensure the safety and security of our communities.

One such example of this from Wigan is Police Constable Sean O’Hanlon and a recent missing persons investigations.

PC O’Hanlon is the missing single point of contact officer (SPOC) for the Wigan division and was in the Scholes area making enquiries when he noticed some figures in an alleyway as he walked past and thought that something didn’t seem right.

After he had finished his enquiry, he decided to go back to the area and make some checks.

About what happened next, PC O’Hanlon said: “I was doing a missing

enquiry in the area when I noticed suspicious activity down the alleyway leading to Collett Close. After my enquiry, I decided to take a walk back down the alleyway.

“I then came across a masked male in a hooded dark tracksuit, who immediately turned and ran away from me. I lost sight of him as he ran round the corner and believe he may have jumped over a high wall or railings.

“On the ground by the wall was a black handgun.

“I was then responsible with staying with the weapon and asked for firearms officers to attend to make it safe. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) also attended to ensure any forensic opportunities weren’t missed.

“Although I was disappointed that the offender got away, I was pleased that I found the gun before a child discovered it, as the area is directly opposite a park and St Patrick’s Primary School.

“The firearm was fully loaded, and it could have been a catastrophe if it was picked up by a child. It’s also one less gun on the streets.”

Thanks to PC O’Hanlon, a loaded firearm was safely removed before someone else came across it; it could have turned out to be a very different outcome.

12 THE BRIEF

JUNE 2024

Challenger team goes from strength to strength Since its inception in 2014, the Wigan Challenger team has gone from strength to strength in their bid to keep communities safe and protected from the criminals that seek to prey on the most vulnerable within our society.

The investigations and the results for the communities are down to the team and the people within it - people such as Detective Sergeant Simon Monks (Si).

DS Monks has been with the team since it first started and has helped the team to grow exponential in terms of the jobs that they do, but also ensuring the welfare of officers and staff come first.

Detective Inspector Pat Wood said: “The Challenger team are all fantastic however, I’d like to shine a light on Si in particular. Si takes each day as it comes and puts a huge amount of effort into every single job. He is retiring next year and will be a sad loss to the team however, we know that

the experience and knowledge he has shared will ensure the team continue to tackle criminals on our streets.

“I am extremely proud of the entire team who were recently awarded a Chief Superintendent’s Commendation for the work they have achieved and continue to achieve for Wigan Challenger.”

A few examples that DS Monks and the team have worked on including Operation Messina and Operation Sorrento which are detailed below: Operation Messina During this operation, DS Monks took on the role of managing intelligence in relation to indecent images of children, devising a multi-agency approach.

This started with the intelligence being received followed by an application to the courts for warrants, arrest of offender safeguarding of victims and offenders, and ultimately, the prosecution of the offender. This model was reccognised by the force as best practice and over 80 offenders were

arrested and prosecuted for sexual offences relating to children.

Operation Sorrento This operation stemmed from a piece of intelligence involving a vehicle making off from a back street unit in Wigan, which was then found to have been used by an organised criminal gang to import heroin.

DS Monks’ attention was quickly captured after realising the offender for this investigation was linked to one of Wigan’s most notorious criminals Adam Perks. After a long meticulous investigation, it was found that Perks and his criminal network were importing coffee beans infused with cocaine which when washed with a chemical process could have seen 100 kilos of the drug flooding the streets of the North West.

Despite Perks fleeing the country, the rest of his gang were handed lengthy double figure sentences for their role in the drugs distribution ring.

Introduction to Corporate Communications The Corporate Communications branch is the bridge between the force, its employees and the public.

The branch deals with all internal and external communications with employees, partners, the media and the public. Our main goal is to support operational policing and build and maintain public confidence. The branch is located on the ground floor at GMP Force HQ. The teams that sit within corporate communications are Campaign and Stakeholder Engagement, the Media office, Awards and Recognition, Digital Creative, Internal Communications and Staff Engagement, GMP band and the GMP museum. This series will introduce the teams and give you a flavour of what they do.

First, is our campaign and stakeholder engagement team who are dedicated to showing the impactful work GMP is doing within our communities in a creative, innovative and engaging way. The team uses a diverse range of tactics to effectively spread messages across various channels and engage communities, shift conversations,

support operational activity and change behaviours. Each campaign we undertake is unique and we always aim to be creative and impactful in our messaging.

Our team is overseen by our Campaign and Stakeholder Engagement manager with a team leader, campaign officers, district communications officers, a marketing apprentice and a research, insights and evaluation analyst.

Working collaboratively to develop impactful short and long-term campaigns, our campaign officers focus on key force priorities such as Challenger, Operation Castle and Right Care, Right Person. We reach stakeholders through a variety of mediums including press releases, web and Twitter chats, engagement events,

advertising, digital short and long-term ad vans, posters, leaflets, and social media management, while also working collaboratively with our digital team.

Our district communications officers promote Bee in the Loop, our community messaging system, which is designed to strengthen our relationships with communities by informing residents about issues in their area and what we are doing to keep them safe. They also produce the district Briefs, which you are currently reading.

Our research analyst plays an important role in shaping our strategies through surveys, campaign evaluations, thematic analysis, focus groups, research, and stakeholder analysis and evaluation.

Over the next few editions, we will be highlighting each of the teams within our Corporate Communications branch with a bit about what they do and what they can do for you.

If you have any questions regarding campaigns, please contact us via email: Campaign.engagement@gmp.police.uk