Six people, including a 15-year-old boy, have been arrested in a series of raids across Greater Manchester today (Monday, August 17) as part of a crackdown on motorcycle thefts in the region. The warrants were carried out in Manchester city centre and Salford this morning.
Police uncover social media account linked to thefts
Greater Manchester Police believe a group have been working together to damage locks and steal motorbikes. During an investigation, a social media account where photos and videos of stolen motorbikes were posted was found. The account led to the discovery of a group chat containing several suspects who are believed to be in a conspiracy to steal motorbikes and involved in the commission of numerous thefts of motorbikes in the city centre.
Raids uncover stolen bikes, drugs and cash
The multi-unit response team involved in the raids today included a dog unit, firearms officers, road policing patrols, the drone unit and the National Police Air Service. Officers carried out several raids across Manchester and Salford. The raids uncovered one stolen motorbike, one stolen Surron e-bike, a quantity of class A, B and C drugs, one zombie knife, and more than £4,000 in cash.
Six arrests made
Six people were arrested on suspicion of the below offences and are all in police custody. A 19-year-old man on suspicion of five counts of theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a class A drug. A 15-year-old boy on suspicion of three counts of theft of a motor vehicle. A 17-year-old boy on suspicion of three counts of theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to steal, possession of a class B drug and possession of an offensive weapon. A 16-year-old boy on suspicion of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to steal and possession of a class C drug. Two other 16-year-old boys were each arrested on suspicion of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to steal.
Police urge public to report thefts
Inspector Emma Allpress, of the City of Manchester Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We have listened to our community who raised concerns around this type of criminality and our investigation has led to the execution of seven warrants, resulting in seven arrests. Our investigation has uncovered a web of criminality where the group have stolen several motorbikes and posted images of them on social media. We are committed to doing all we can to tackle this type of criminality. Crime prevention advice can be found on our website - Protect your motorcycle, moped or scooter from theft | Greater Manchester Police. Results such as these are not possible without the information and intelligence we receive from the public. If you have information about thefts in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can do this by contacting us on 101 or via the ‘Live Chat’ function on our website. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
