Police have the last laugh

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A police campaign led to a 17 per cent reduction in burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and theft in April.

Greater Manchester Police focused on all aspects of theft throughout the month and made 982 arrests, visited scrap yards 229 times and second-hand shops 338 times, and undertook 3,433 “disruption” visits to unsettle those known to be involved in crime.

There were more than 62,000 hits to the Flickr online picture gallery’s “wanted” website, which features wanted offenders from across the force.

More than 9,000 members of the public were also given face-to-face support and advice on what steps they can take to reduce the chance of becoming a victim of stealing.

People can continue to “springclean” their area by viewing pictures of wanted criminals at www.flickr. com/photos/springclean.

* Almost 4,500 drivers across Greater Manchester have been captured flouting driving laws in a second police operation.

April’s Operation Dice campaign attempted to reduce road deaths across the county. Roadside police checks captured 1,147 speeding drivers; with a further 2,649 caught by fixed cameras. Officers gave penalty notices to 168 drivers for seatbelt offences and 141 others for using a mobile phone while driving. They also arrested 89 drivers for driving offences and offered warnings to a further 289.