Burglary is major concern

CRIME is on the decline in Greater Manchester but police still face a mammoth task ahead.

On the whole, crime has fallen by 5.4 per cent from April, 2008, to March, 2009, but officers are still struggling to control burglary.

The number of shots from firearms has dropped by 43 per cent and robberies at financial institutions has fallen by 21 per cent thanks to Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Vanguard.

In addition to the drop in crime, officers have also seized around £6.5 million from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

GMP has launched Operation Guardian to tackle burglary across the force, target prolific offenders and offer communities crime prevention advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of burglary.

GMP’s Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “Overall this shows we are making progress against organised crime as well as vehicle crime and robbery.

“The rise in burglary is a worrying trend and is something we are working hard to combat. The key to doing this is to reduce the number of opportunities burglars have by keeping properties secure and valuable items such as car keys out of sight.

“We can’t forget the role communities play in supporting our fight against crime. Local people can be our eyes and ears.”