Inside police efforts to crack down on violent and knife crime in Manchester
“I’d say the last two years people are just – they just don’t care anymore, they are using knives and doing all sorts.”
PC Maguire, 28, speaks with the authority of experience: experience that comes from working in Greater Manchester’s most high-crime areas.
“I remember when I was a teenager,” she says, “you’d never really hear of people carrying a knife or anything. But now it’s the normal thing to do.”
“It’s mad,” she adds.
PC Maguire on patrol – her face is blurred because she also does undercover work for the unit
PC Maguire is part of Operation Venture, an elite policing unit within Greater Manchester Police set up to tackle serious violence and knife crime.
Over the past two months, we’ve been given exclusive access to watch them work.
Moped chase
We’re on a Friday afternoon vehicle patrol in south Manchester with another member of the Venture team, Sgt Mohammed Waqas, when his radio, and that of fellow officer PC Hodge, who’s driving, starts pinging.
Their plain clothes team has spotted two youths in balaclavas, on a moped, weaving in and out of traffic.
“We suspect they are involved in some sort of knife-point robberies,” Sgt Waqas says.
The moped has also had its registration plates pulled off – officers suspect it’s been stolen.
The team starts searching the streets and is flagged down by a passing driver who says he’s just had to swerve to avoid hitting a moped.
One of the GMP officers during the hunt for the moped which was suspected to have been stolen
“They’re little idiots, up there!” the driver says, visibly angry. “There are kids around.
“I swear to god I felt like f*****g chasing them down, and kicking them up the arse.”
Meanwhile, the unit’s covert officers are waiting where the moped has been previously spotted.
When it returns, a short while later, there are three youths onboard.
The team detain one, a 16-year-old who is known to them, but the two other youths get away.
The youths on the moped filming themselves escaping from police – suspects filming escapes and incidents and then posting it online has grown increasingly common
Sgt Waqas and PC Hodge take up the chase, following the moped at speed as it runs red lights.
Incredibly, we see one of the moped riders filming it all on their mobile phone.
Later, the officers tell us: “They’ll probably post it online.”
But right now, they are focused on trying to catch them, which, in rush hour traffic, proves impossible.
They lose them – “yeah, total loss”, Sgt Waqas reports via his radio to the comms operator.
“Just to log as well,” he adds, “two males, white males, both got balaclavas on.”
“One of them has possibly got something in his jacket. Can’t tell what it is, just the way that he was holding himself.”
It’s extremely frustrating for the team.
The elite unit has taken 250 knives off of Manchester’s streets – an officer holds one of the knives recovered that he describes as a ‘rambo’ blade
A baby buggy, a knife and £50,000 cash
A few hours later, during a patrol in Salford, we see the sorts of weapons they are up against.
We’re with PC Maguire again, on vehicle patrol, when a police camera flags a car with links to suspected drug supply.
Along with another of the unit’s patrol cars, PC Maguire works to get into a formation to box in the suspect’s vehicle.
“XR2, show me as Car two,” PC Maguire tells a radio operator, having quickly made ground to get the vehicle in her sights.
“You want to get a stop on, before they have an opportunity to get away,” she explains.
But, after a brief pursuit through the dark streets, the car they are following pulls over of its own accord.
The driver, who’s in his 20s, is searched – as is his vehicle.
Inside, along with baby buggies and car seats, officers find a knife in the glovebox and a shoebox full of cash.
One of the knives officers recovered during the elite unit’s work
The car pulled over by the officers was full of baby equipment, as well as a knife and cash
The cash recovered by officers from car – thought to be around £50,000
Read more from Sky News:
Serial paedophile jailed for 46 years
Footage of alleged Sycamore Gap tree felling
UK joins US in strike on Houthi target in Yemen
Officers estimate there’s about £50,000 in there.
After brief questioning on site, the man tells officers that he’s been staying at a house nearby and admits there’s another weapon in there.
A few minutes later, PC Ben Cartledge – another Operation Venture officer – comes out holding what looks like a huge knife.
“It’s a machete,” he says, “it was in the bedroom.”
It’s extremely heavy and looks terrifying.
The machete recovered by officers in Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Venture unit from the bedroom of a suspect they pulled over
One of Operation Venture’s officers minutes before they pull over a car with £50,000 cash and a knife
“I’m not going to lie to you, mate, it’s for protection only,” the arrested man says, when PC Cartledge arrests him on a further offence of having an offensive weapon in a private place.
It’s a line officers have heard before.
“There’s that social media side of it,” a senior officers says.
“Sometimes they’ll film themselves doing the robbery and sharing it around, and that becomes the normality.
“So then people will sometimes carry weapons to protect themselves.”
The unit uses a combination of proactive stop and search, intelligence-led policing and undercover tactics.
It’s why we can name officers but sometimes not show faces.
UK
Capture: Victims of second Post Office scandal to receive ‘recognition’ payments before compensation
The government will give ‘recognition’ payments to Post Office Capture victims before they receive full compensation.
Former sub-postmasters and their families who are entitled to redress have been told the initial amount, which is yet to be finalised, could be £10,000.
Capture was a faulty computer system used by sub postmasters in the 1990s – before the Horizon scandal.
A report last year found the software is likely to have caused errors in accounting.
A redress scheme is currently being set up for those affected and could possibly be introduced by the end of the summer.
Steve Marston, a Capture user who was convicted of stealing from his Post Office in 1996, describes “quite a lot of progress” at a government meeting but raised concerns over pace.
He told Sky News: “I’m more than happy that the compensation scheme is going to be put in place as quickly as possible.
“None of us are guaranteed how long we’re going to be here. We just want people to see recognition as soon as possible.”
Steve Marston with his wife Jan
Ken Tooby’s late wife June was a Capture victim. Ken is seriously ill in hospital so his family has sent a plea to the government to “sort this Capture business asap”.
June Tooby represented herself in court in 2003 and challenged the Post Office over its “faulty” software system.
The evidence she compiled led to the Kroll investigation into Capture concluding there was a “reasonable likelihood” the software caused accounting errors.
Another victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Sky News he was “frustrated” at the slow progress of redress, describing it as “like pulling teeth”.
He also raised concerns over interim payments potentially being “too low”, claiming the government may be trying to “keep people sweet”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
PO miscarriages of justice cases ‘double’
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), meanwhile, is currently investigating 28 convictions and it’s hoped decisions will be made over whether to refer cases to the Court of Appeal by the end of the year.
Neil Hudgell, lawyer for Capture victims, said there was a “positive dialogue” at the latest meeting between government officials and families.
“The real frustration is the time it takes because of the processes that are involved,” he said. “I can see why it would take as long as it has.
“But [victims] just want peace and to see the end of it… There’s a real acute need to bring matters to a close.”
On timescales, he said there were “no guarantees” but a “guesstimate” was that redress will start “to flow… in the second half of the year”.
Mr Hudgell said he would be “disappointed” if conviction cases have not been progressed by the CCRC by this autumn.
“I don’t under emphasise the amount of work they’ve got – it involves multiple cases… I think they’ve got enough evidence now to start to formulate a decision,” he said.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “Postmasters have already endured immeasurable suffering, and we continue to listen to those who have been sharing their stories on the Capture system.
“Ensuring postmasters are treated with dignity and respect is our absolute priority.
“Officials met with postmasters [on Wednesday] as part of our commitment to develop an effective and fair redress process for those affected by Capture.
“We will continue to update on the development of the redress mechanism as it progresses.”
UK
Two children from Gaza enter UK for specialist medical care for first time after months of struggle
It was a welcome party of sorts, and it was assembled near arrivals at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
A few people clutched flowers, others brought presents, while everyone carried a sense of relief.
Two children from Gaza had been given permission to enter Britain for specialist medical care and the pair would arrive on the evening flight from Cairo.
It was a significant moment – the first time UK visas had been granted to children from this war-ravaged enclave – and the product of months of struggle by a small group of British volunteers.
Ghena Abed, five, needs urgent treatment to save the vision in her left eye
As those in attendance offered up a cheer, a five-year-old called Ghena Abed emerged shyly from behind the security gates. With fluid pressing on her optic nerve, she needs urgent treatment to save the vision in her left eye.
Also in this party was a 12-year-old girl called Rama Qudiah. She is weak and malnourished and suffers from incontinence. Medics think she requires an operation on her bowel.
Medics think Rama Qudiah, 12, needs a bowel operation
Her mother, Rana, told us their arrival in Britian “is just a like a dream”.
Her daughter has certainly been fortunate. A small number of children from Gaza have benefited from medical evacuations, with the majority receiving care in countries in the Middle East, Europe, as well as the United States.
Rama’s mother, Rana
In March, the Israelis signed a deal with Jordan which could allow 2,000 children to leave the enclave for treatment of war injuries and conditions like cancer. However, just 29 were allowed to go at first instance.
The process has not been easy
Until now, not a single child from Gaza has entered the UK for medical care since the start of the current conflict, and the process has not been an easy one for the volunteers at Project Pure Hope.
They told Sky News it has taken 17 months to arrange temporary visas for Ghena and Rama.
Dr Farzana Rahman from Project Pure Hope
“A lot of us are health care workers and I think it’s in our DNA that when we see people who are suffering, particularly children, we want to try and do something and that’s what motivated us,” says Dr Farzana Rahman from Project Pure Hope.
When asked why she thinks it has taken so much time to secure their visas, Dr Rahman said: “I don’t know.”
Group argues it has no time to lose to help other children
But it is clear the arrival of children from Gaza is an issue of sensitivity. The British volunteers told us on a number of occasions that all costs would be met by private sources. The children will return to Gaza when the treatment is completed.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Project Pure Hope is not finished, however – group members have drawn up a list of other children they can help, and argue they have no time to lose.
“One of the hardest parts of trying to make progress in this area is that delays cost lives. A number of children have died who we haven’t been able to help and this is an urgent situation and I think for all of us that’s the hardest part,” says Dr Rahman.
Mobile phone footage allegedly showing the moment the famous Sycamore Gap tree crashed to the ground to the sound of a chainsaw has been played to jurors.
Groundworker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, each deny two counts of criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian’s Wall overnight on 28 September 2023.
Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court heard the tree was a “totemic” feature of Northumberland and was part of a place “much loved by many thousands of people”.
Adam Carruthers outside court. Pic: PA
The video clip lasting two minutes and 40 seconds was recovered from Graham’s phone and played to the court twice – once showing the dark, raw footage, and a second time after it had been enhanced by a police specialist.
Police analyst Amy Sutherland told the court the video was in the download section of Graham’s phone, which was taken from his jacket pocket.
In the enhanced black and white version, with audio of wind blowing and a chainsaw buzzing, a figure can be seen working at the trunk of the tree, before it finally crashes to the ground.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said the original video was enhanced by changing the contrast, putting a border around the frame and brightening the film “so it could be seen more clearly”.
The prosecution alleges that the two friends travelled to the location in the pitch black during Storm Agnes and used a chainsaw to fell the sycamore, which then crashed on to Hadrian’s Wall.
The damage caused was valued at £622,191 for the tree and £1,144 to the Roman wall, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Thought to be the last picture of the Sycamore Gap in its famous position, taken on 27 September 2023. Pic: CPS
The court has heard that Graham, of Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, of Wigton, Cumbria, swapped messages after word spread of the tree being felled.
A statement by Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist with Historic England, said he produced a seven-page report into the damage caused to Hadrian’s Wall.
He said the Sycamore Gap name was coined in the 1980s, and over the decades it has become one of Northumberland’s most appreciated features.
He said: “Its unmistakable profile has been repeated in many media and because of this it has become totemic.
“It has become a place of marriage proposals, family visits and even the location of ashes to be spread.
“The place is much loved by many thousands of people.”
Read more from Sky News:
Now Co-op hit by cyber attack – live updates
Wales to introduce same-day mental health care
The court heard a statement from archaeologist and inspector for Historic England, Lee McFarlane, that some of the stones in Hadrian’s Wall were damaged when the tree was felled.
The wall and the tree belong to the National Trust.
The trial continues.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway