Key Points
- There has been a decline of 43% in residential burglaries in Stockport within the last five years according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
- Over the whole of Greater Manchester, the recorded residential burglaries dropped from 15,519 in the year ending May 2021 to 8,261 in the year ending August 2026.
- According to GMP, this translates into 20 fewer burglary victims each day across the force area since May 2021.
- Stockport has the highest percentage of reductions at the borough level according to GMP figures at 43%, followed by Oldham at 38% and Bolton at 36%.
- The data was released on 14 October 2026, where GMP claimed that it is the best-performing force in England and Wales for resolving residential burglaries.
- This has been attributed to Operation Castle that was launched in 2021 where officers were committed to attend to every reported residential burglary.
- The previous GMP figures indicated that there was a 33% drop in residential burglary over Greater Manchester since May 2021, with 456 fewer victims per month.
- Within Stockport, GMP reported a 23.6% reduction in the number of reported burglary cases from 2,165 to 1,653, together with a 30.8% increase in suspects charged and remanded.
Stockport (Manchester Mirror) October 14, 2026 — Burglaries in Stockport have fallen by almost half over the past five years, according to figures released by Greater Manchester Police.
As reported by Stockport Nub News, residential burglaries across Stockport have reduced by 43% in the last five years. The figures form part of a wider Greater Manchester decline, in which residential burglaries fell from 15,519 recorded crimes in the year up to May 2021 to 8,261 in the year up to August 2026.
GMP said the force-wide reduction means there are now 20 fewer burglary victims each day compared with May 2021. The police force also stated that it is the best-performing force in the country for solving residential burglaries.
What Do the Latest Figures Show?
The latest data places Stockport ahead of other Greater Manchester boroughs in the scale of its reduction. According to GMP, Stockport recorded a 43% fall, while Oldham saw a 38% reduction and Bolton recorded a 36% fall.
The figures cover residential burglary rather than every category of burglary. GMP’s wider reporting has separately referred to business and community burglary, which it said had fallen by 15% since May 2021.
The force has not published a Stockport-specific raw incident total in the October 2026 announcement cited by Stockport Nub News. However, its previous Stockport release in September 2023 reported 1,653 burglary incidents in the borough over 12 months, compared with 2,165 in the previous 12-month period.
Why Have Burglaries Reduced?
GMP attributes the reduction to its neighbourhood crime approach and Operation Castle, which was launched five years ago. The operation was designed to reduce burglary across Greater Manchester and included a commitment to send an officer to every reported residential burglary.
As reported in GMP’s July 2026 update on five years of Operation Castle, residential burglary fell by 33% since May 2021, resulting in 456 fewer victims a month. Over the same period, arrests increased from 1,074 in 2021 to 1,522 in 2026.
In Stockport, GMP previously linked improved outcomes to Operation Castle and the creation of a dedicated Neighbourhood Crime Team in 2022. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Arthern said at the time that several factors had contributed to the improvement.
What Has GMP Said About Investigation Standards?
GMP has said it has attended all reports of burglary since July 2021. In a 2024 statement, the force said this commitment had helped it solve 77% more burglary offences.
Earlier material published through Greater Manchester’s governance structures said that, through Operation Castle, GMP attended more than 94% of residential burglaries, compared with 70% when the operation began. It also said each district had a Neighbourhood Crime Team dedicated to burglary investigation and the pursuit of offenders.
The latest October 2026 announcement reiterates GMP’s position that it is leading nationally on solving residential burglaries. Stockport Nub News reported the claim alongside the borough’s 43% reduction.
How Does Stockport Compare With Previous Years?
The latest five-year reduction follows earlier improvements reported in the borough. In September 2023, GMP said burglaries across Stockport had fallen by almost a quarter over the previous year, while arrests rose by 16.2%.
At that stage, the number of suspects charged and remanded had increased by 30.8%. GMP also reported that the number of arrests had risen from the previous year, although the precise figure was not included in the summary data published alongside the announcement.
More recently, local reporting has pointed to continued police activity against burglary and associated offending. In July 2026, Stockport Nub News reported that four people described by GMP as prolific burglars had been jailed after targeting homes across Stockport, with the sentences linked to Operation Castle.
What Other Crime Trends Have Been Reported?
The burglary reduction has taken place alongside reported falls in other neighbourhood crime types. GMP said in January 2026 that there had been more than 500 fewer burglary victims each month across Greater Manchester since May 2021, based on 9,083 crimes in the year to September 2025.
In Stockport, a February 2026 report by Quays News, drawing on a GMP press release, said personal theft had decreased by 34%, shoplifting by 10% and personal robbery by 18% over the previous three years. The report linked those trends to Operation Rimini, a Stockport neighbourhood operation aimed at reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.
GMP has also said its Neighbourhood Crime Team in Stockport exceeded targets to reduce personal theft and residential burglaries.
Background of the Development
Operation Castle was introduced by GMP in 2021 as a force-wide response to residential burglary. Its central commitment was that officers would attend every reported residential burglary, a policy GMP says began in July 2021.
The operation was accompanied by the development of dedicated Neighbourhood Crime Teams in districts including Stockport. These teams were intended to focus on burglary investigation, neighbourhood crime and the pursuit of offenders.
Stockport’s reduction should be read in the context of police-recorded crime data, which measures offences reported to and recorded by police. The Home Office notes that police recorded crime follows national counting rules intended to ensure consistent recording across forces.
Prediction: What Could This Mean for Stockport Residents?
For Stockport residents, the reported 43% fall may affect perceptions of neighbourhood safety and could reduce the immediate risk of residential burglary compared with five years ago. The figures may also encourage greater confidence in reporting burglaries, particularly as GMP says it attends all reported residential burglaries.
For homeowners, renters and local community groups, the data could support continued investment in prevention measures such as secure locks, visible lighting, Neighbourhood Watch schemes and prompt reporting. GMP has previously directed residents towards Operation Castle crime-prevention advice and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.
For local businesses and insurers, a sustained fall in residential burglary could influence demand for security services and may be considered alongside wider crime trends when assessing local risk. However, the figures do not remove the need for vigilance: police-recorded statistics reflect reported crime, and local patterns can vary between neighbourhoods.
