In North West England, one police force embodies law enforcement in the 21st century. With its arsenal of men and machines, Greater Manchester Police is well prepared for crime-fighting in the modern setting.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is one of the largest police force in England and Wales. Closely following Metropolitan Police Service and West Midlands Police, it has the third greatest number of personnel in its command, at over 12,000. The force has a full strength of more than 8,200 police officers supported by more than 4,000 police staff members, over 750 PCSOs, and about 300 volunteer special constables—all serving the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester which spans nearly 500 square miles and has a population of approximately 2.6 million residents.
One of the distinct features of Greater Manchester Police is its highly specialised organisational structure. GMP is separated into 13 operational divisions according to geographic location. GMP likewise commands specialised units trained and equipped to deal with specific threats or situations. A few of these specialised components include the Tactical Firearms Unit, Air Support Unit, Mounted Unit, Road Policing Unit, among others. GMP also makes use of neighbourhood policing scheme.
Apart from having adequate police force and structure, Greater Manchester Police also relies on an array of police equipment. GMP has a police helicopter and a multi-purpose utility transport aircraft as part of its Air Support Unit. GMP also has an extensive fleet of police cars which include standard Panda cars along with other support and special-role vehicles. Additionally, its personnel are also provided with the most current equipment used by police forces in the country.
Given its range of personnel and equipment, GMP has proven itself effective in preventing crime. In a twelve-month period from 2008 to 2009, there was a reported reduction in the number of criminal offences. In particular, there was a decline of 15,962 in the number of crime victims than the previous 12-month period. This decrease resulted from 3,729 fewer vehicle crimes, 4,799 fewer violent crimes, and 13 fewer robberies.
It is clear that Greater Manchester Police is capable of meeting the challenges of 21st century police work. Along with the citizens, GMP helps to make Greater Manchester even greater.
