GMP slammed for taking pics in 'problem areas' - then driving away

Residents have claimed that police officers are getting out of their cars for a photograph and immediately leaving the area - before telling social media they actually patrolled it.

Last week, the Manchester Evening News reported that Stockport residents were beginning to get a sense of deja vu after police shared images of officers 'on patrol' along the same stretch of Rae Street 10 times since the start of 2022. While some Facebook users saw the funny side, others were critical.

Now, Coun Sheila Bailey says she has received complaints from residents who claim to have seen officers posing for a photograph before swiftly disappearing, on Rae Street as well as about half a dozen others in Edgeley. In an email seen by the M.E.N. , the Labour member on Stockport Council wrote to Greater Manchester Police chief constable Stephen Watson, sharing the concerns.

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In the email, she quoted one resident who said: "We have noticed several times police cars and unmarked cars pull up, get out and the officers take a couple of photos by the shops [or] on the corner near the doctors and less than a minute later get back into the car and drive away. Later these pictures are added to Facebook as part of Operation Valiant - and they say they have been patrolling the area but actually they have just taken a photo."

Another resident is quoted as saying: "I saw two women police officers get out of a car near Rae Street, giggling about taking a photo and then they got back in the car and drove away."

The posts shared to Facebook on the GMP Stockport page refer to Operation Valiant and sometimes claim that Edgeley is a 'hotspot' for