GMP raid homes in early hours as arrests made in 'big day of action' on borough

Greater Manchester Police launched a series of raids in the early hours as part of an ongoing operation on Tuesday morning. Manchester Evening News reporter Maisie Lawton joined them for what was promised to be a 'big day of action'...

It's 6.30am on a sleepy street in Timperley. Most people are still in their beds - but some are soon in for a rude awakening when a police van suddenly pulls up.

Just seconds later, officers emerge and position themselves in front of the home where GMP had received reports of ongoing suspicious activity. Tactical Aid Unit officers are let into the property and after a swift raid leave with confiscated class B drugs.

It’s onto the next scene and fast - at 8.30am we join officers in Partington who arrest a 27-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A drug. In a nearby home, two dangerous dogs are seized.

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This is all part of GMP's Operation AVRO, which the Manchester Evening News was invited to follow today (August 15). AVRO is a force-wide initiative that sees a day of action carried out in a different district each time.

Before 12pm, officers had made 23 arrests, seized £20,000 of cash, executed 16 warrants and found 20 cannabis plant farms, said GMP's Henry Woodsford.

"We pull our resources for a big day of action from reported concerns of the community. It's a big day of action where different agencies are able to work together," he said.

Shortly after the 8.30am raids, we join officers leading a traffic enforcement operation with other agencies against organised crime on Shaftsbury Avenue, in Timperley.

When we arrive, four police