POLICE, immigration and council enforcement officers are conducting another blitz on offenders across Tameside in the latest Operation AVRO.
And the message is simple – we are taking the fight back to the criminals.
Raids were carried out and warrants executed at a number of addresses across the borough early on Thursday, November 9.
By 9am, 10 people had been arrested, two cannabis farms discovered and stolen property recovered – with more to come.
An arrest was made at Lumn Road in Hyde after a cannabis farm was found, while two people were taken into custody on suspicion of possession of class A drugs, failure to appear at court and possession of suspected counterfeit goods following a raid in Audenshaw.
In total, 40 people have been targeted for offences relating to domestic violence.
Council licensing chiefs are conducting checks on taxis and trading standards officials making sure business comply with regulations and community engagement is also taking place.
Home Office immigration checks are also being carried out over the course of the day.
And Superintendent Mike Walsh, of Greater Manchester Police’s Tameside Division, believes the day of action can help re-enforce communities’ trust.
Leader of Tameside Council, Cllr Ged Cooney told those taking part: “The public like to see action, that’s more important.”
Supt Walsh, who notified officers some 3,218 people had been arrested in 2023 ‘but that’s not good enough’ told the Correspondent: “Operation AVRO is anchored in us listening to our communities.
“They tell us what they’re concerned about, the areas, the properties, the individuals they’re concerned about and we’re acting on it.
“We’re kicking in doors, we’re doing warrants, we’re arrested wanted people. We’re looking at our riad network for places where people use it for criminality.
“We’re thinking about motorbikes being used in an anti-social way. This is about listening to our communities and being there for them.
“And we’re focusing on our highest risk wated offenders, people wanted for domestic abuse – we really, really care about that at Tameside.
“These are some horrendous offences, some of our most vulnerable victims. We want to get these individuals in, so we can protect and safeguard victims and then perpetrators know we will deal with them.
“We made a really good start – with seven warrants and 10 arrests. We recovered drugs, found two cannabis farms, arrested people for a variety of offences.
“Those are really good results, but we’re not stopping.
“It’s a lot more than raiding homes, that’s the enforcement bit, which is really important, but a big part of policing is community engagement.
“People can find things out but also it’s an opportunity to tell us more. What are you concerned about, have we got things right, have we missed something?
“If we come across people whose immigration status is questionable, authorities have systems to check and if there’s concern, they’ll deal with it.
“There are also lots of licensing visits planned too. Our communities expect the very best. Tell us things and we’ll act on them.”