Fourteen arrests in a week as police continue to target Piccadilly Gardens

A bid to flush criminals out of Piccadilly Gardens is having an impact, police say. The team which relentlessly raided Manchester's "Counterfeit Street" in Strangeways has now switched its sights to the city centre square which has been a hotspot for drug dealing and robbery.

In the first week Operation Vulcan officers have already made 14 arrests for a range of offences and carried out a number of positive stop searches, including one man who had 12 snap bags of drugs hidden in his socks. A knife hidden under a bench in Piccadilly Gardens was also seized.

Working to safeguard vulnerable people is a key part of the operation however. This week, the team came across a 20-year-old man sleeping on a pavement. He was taken to a community centre that seeks to help those struggling with mental health issues or drug and alcohol dependency to rebuild their lives and support them to secure and maintain a permanent home.

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Detective Supt Neil Blackwood said: “Operation Vulcan Piccadilly is about improving the look and feel of Piccadilly Gardens ensuring it is a place that Mancunians can be proud of as the heart of our city centre. The majority of people who pass through here use it for legitimate purposes – as part of a daily commute, for leisure and so on – but there are some who have sought to use it for criminal purposes.

“We've made a number of arrests this week, removed people loitering in the area, and engaged with people who may be vulnerable. On our first official day, our officers were also flagged down by a member of the public to tell them that a missing person