Greater Manchester Police launch Operation Lioness for second year running to tackle violence against women

Greater Manchester Police have launched Operation Lioness for the second year in a row. The operation is designed to target the night-time economy as part of the ongoing efforts and commitment to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), ensuring those who are out in the night-time are safe, protected and supported.

In 2022, the operation saw excellent results in the reduction of VAWG related incidents and the increase in arrests for related crimes and since then, VAWG has been highlighted as a national priority by the UK Government. During the summertime operation in 2022, there were more than 250 arrests, 100s of stop searches and positive interventions across Greater Manchester.

On Friday, Operation Lioness launched across the force and will continue throughout the summer for the next nine weeks to ensure women and girls can enjoy a night out without fear. The operation will see dedicated teams of officers descending on town centres at the weekends and high traffic evenings in a crackdown against violence and abuse directed at women and girls. 

Detective Superintendent James Faulkner, Force Tactical Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls said: “Behaviour such as harassment, sexual assault and spiking is completely unacceptable, and we want women to be able to enjoy an evening out without feeling nervous about being taken advantage of, or of walking home or of having theirs or their friends’ drinks spiked.

“This kind of behaviour is not acceptable, and this operation is committed to making women and girls feel safe. We want all women to come out into the night-time economy and enjoy our towns and city centres across Greater Manchester. The feedback from Operation Lioness since 2021 has been extremely positive and is testament to our officer’s hard work and dedication, but also the cooperation and engagement of the public.

“Of course, the work doesn’t stop at Operation Lioness; Greater Manchester Police are continually working to improve our service towards victims of crime. We are continuing to work with partner agencies and local authorities as well as licensed premises and voluntary organisations to ensure our common aim of protecting women and girls in the night-time economies is achieved.

“The operation will take place every week for the next few weeks and our officers will be covering not only local licensed premises and high streets, but transport links such as the trams and buses. As well as our visible officers who patrol our night-time hotspot areas, we have specially trained covert officers operating to ensure no stone is left unturned and offenders are apprehended quickly.

“We will also have staff in our control rooms monitoring CCTV in hotspot areas so patrols can be sent directly to any suspicious or dangerous situations which may be unfolding. We are fully committed to making sure offenders face the consequences of their actions. It's not the responsibility of women to prevent themselves from becoming victims, it's down to us as law enforcers to target offenders and bring those responsible to justice.

“Our officers are on hand to answer any questions you may have, provide crime prevention advice to the public, and support and engage with those enjoying their activities.”