Hundreds held in Manchester to counter alcohol-fuelled violent crime

[Naveed Yaseen]

LONDON: Greater Manchester Police have arrested hundreds of people in a major crackdown on alcohol-fuelled violent crime.

They said they detained 280 people on Friday morning, taking the total for the last few days to 362, with more arrests likely before the operation ends on Saturday. The early morning raids involved hundreds of officers hunting those responsible for violent assaults, or who had jumped bail and were on the run.

One raid discovered a deactivated AK-47 assault rifle in Stockport, in the southeast part of the conurbation. The crackdown is in response to a survey showing a third of people in northwest England see drunk or rowdy behaviour as a big or fairly big problem. “We have sent out a powerful message to criminals who are responsible for the sorts of violent attacks the majority people of Greater Manchester rightly abhor,” said Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Simon Byrne.

“All too frequently, alcohol is a major cause of aggression and results in innocent people being subjected to violent and unprovoked assaults.” The 24-hour swoop, called Operation Admiral, will end on Saturday morning but the police clampdown on street violence will continue. “This is just the start of an ongoing process that will see Greater Manchester Police continually target those responsible for violent crime until the message sinks in,” Byrne said in a statement. All available cells throughout Greater Manchester will be opened to hold those arrested and additional prisoner buses have been hired for the day. Bars, pubs or clubs found to be flouting licensing laws will also be closed down, police said. reuters

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg7_39