A LARGE-SCALE crackdown on weapons and drugs across Tameside saw 41 people arrested in a single day.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police and Tameside Council joined forces as Operation AVRO returned to the borough.
The force-wide initiative enables extra resources and specialist police officers to work in a different district of Greater Manchester every month, targeting crimes and particular concerns that the public have raised.
On September 19, warrants were conducted on the Stanhope estate in Droylsden, as a “large quantity” of drugs and weapons were seized.
Meanwhile, three men were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis after a large cannabis farm was discovered on Katherine Street in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Elsewhere in the town, a “large quantity” of counterfeit goods and illicit vapes and tobacco products were seized from three premises by trading standards officers, who were joined by police and sniffer dogs.
Roadside safety checks on taxis and private hire vehicles, as well as vehicles carrying waste, were also carried out by police and licensing officers. All vehicles checked were found to be compliant.
The public received advice around personal safety, crime prevention and road safety in town centres, libraries and at Tameside College from community safety officers.
There was also a domestic abuse awareness coffee morning in the Women and Families Centre in Ashton-under-Lyne.
The day of action was deemed a success by Tameside Council’s leader and the borough’s most senior police officer.
“It’s great to see another successful Operation AVRO day of action, which supports our wider multi-agency work to take a robust, collaborative approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour issues of concern to our local community.
“This work is ongoing and our officers continue to be out every day serving our local communities, building safer, more resilient neighbourhoods and improving local people’s lives.”
Chief Superintendent Chris Foster, commander for Tameside, added: “Operation AVRO is a large-scale operation where we bring police resources from the whole of Greater Manchester together to support our communities.
“As well as the raids, we provided high-visibility proactive patrols around hotspot locations including Ashton town centre and Clarendon Square Shopping Centre, while the Tactical Mounted Unit went out on patrols around Hyde town centre.
“I would like to thank Tameside residents that took the time to speak to our officers, provide positive feedback about our operation and engage with us. Your support is hugely appreciated.”