Salford Knife Crime Down 44%, Greater Manchester Police Says 2026

Key Points

• According to recent statistics by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), knife crime in Salford has decreased by 44%.
• The statistics were provided by SalfordNow on 19 October 2026.
• SalfordNow stated that the reduction in knife crimes had been achieved following the police’s attempts to address violence in the city.
• Also, GMP has secured £1.8 million from the Home Office Knife Crime Concentration Fund in order to step up their activities.
• As per the data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), nationally, knife-enabled crimes in England and Wales have decreased by 8% for the period ending March 2026.
• The Serious Violence Strategy of Salford City Council outlines organized crime, criminal exploitation, and safeguarding risk as the factors associated with serious violence.

Manchester Police (Manchester Mirror) October 19, 2026 — Knife crime in Salford has fallen by 44%, according to recent statistics published by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), in a development reported by SalfordNow as evidence of the impact of policing efforts aimed at reducing violence in the city.

What do the latest Salford figures show?

As reported by SalfordNow, recent GMP statistics show that knife crime is down by 44% in Salford. The publication stated that the fall followed the police’s efforts in tackling violence.

The reported percentage relates to knife crime recorded in Salford and was presented by SalfordNow as a local crime trend rather than as a single incident or arrest figure. The article did not publish a baseline number, a comparison period, or a breakdown by neighbourhood, so the precise scale of the reduction in recorded offences cannot be independently confirmed from the information currently available.

GMP’s own public materials describe knife crime as one of the force’s priorities across Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs. In a previous Salford-focused update, the force said reported offences had fallen in the city over the preceding year, while emphasising that knife crime remained a priority for local policing.

Why has knife crime fallen in Salford?

SalfordNow attributed the 44% reduction to police efforts to tackle violence, although the report did not detail the specific operations, arrests, patrols or partnership initiatives behind the latest statistics.

GMP has previously said that its Salford division works with partners and the local authority to prevent and detect serious and violent crime. In 2023, Chief Superintendent Anthony Creely of GMP Salford Division said: “Every life lost to serious violence and knife crime is a tragedy and GMP Salford is committed to preventing and reducing this type of crime and making communities safer.”

The force has also previously described work in Salford against youth violence and urban street gangs, including hotspot analysis, arrests and charges. In January 2024, GMP said Salford’s neighbourhood team was continuing efforts to crack down on youth violence and urban street gangs.

How does this compare with national trends?

The Salford reduction comes amid a wider national fall in recorded knife-enabled crime. According to the Office for National Statistics, offences involving knives or sharp instruments in England and Wales fell by 8% to 48,774 in the year ending March 2026, compared with 53,096 offences in the year ending March 2025.

The ONS said the fall was seen across most regions in England and Wales and that levels were 12% lower than in the year ending March 2020. It also reported that most knife-enabled crimes were categorised as assault with injury or assault with intent to cause serious harm, followed by robbery.

The national figures do not provide a direct borough-level comparison for Salford, but they place the city’s reported 44% decline within a broader period of falling recorded knife crime.

What police funding has been announced?

Separately, GMP said on 16 October 2026 that it had been given £1.8 million through the Home Office Knife Crime Concentration Fund. The force said the funding would support efforts to increase police activity.

The announcement came three days before SalfordNow reported the 44% local reduction. However, the available reporting does not establish that the new funding caused the fall in Salford knife crime, and no direct link between the grant and the latest local statistics has been stated in the sources reviewed.

Nationally, the Home Office has said that targeted action in seven police force areas, including Greater Manchester, has been associated with a reduction in knife-enabled robbery. In May 2026, the government said knife robberies in those areas were 21% lower than in June 2024, falling from 15,918 offences in summer 2024 to 12,633 by March 2026.

The Home Office said the group of forces, established in October 2024, includes Greater Manchester Police and works to improve intelligence sharing, identify crime patterns earlier, strengthen investigations and make better use of technology such as CCTV to identify suspects.

What is Salford’s approach to serious violence?

Salford City Council says serious violence prevention is governed through its Community Safety Partnership. Under the Serious Violence Duty, which came into effect in January 2023, specified authorities are required to work together to prevent and reduce serious violence.

The council defines serious violence as “serious physical violence or the threat of such violence towards another person(s), which often involves the use of a weapon”. Its Serious Violence Reduction Strategy identifies organised crime, criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation and complex safeguarding as relevant factors.

Salford’s strategy covers 2024 to 2027 and requires the Community Safety Partnership to assess local need, produce a response strategy and review progress.

What has GMP said previously about Salford violence?

GMP has reported earlier reductions in serious violence in Salford. In April 2022, the force said shootings in the city had fallen by more than 70% since the creation of Operation Naseby, a dedicated anti-gang taskforce formed in April 2020 to disrupt organised criminal activity.

At that time, GMP said the operation had led to 279 arrests, 297 vehicle seizures, 118 house searches and the recovery of nearly 50kg of drugs. The force also said weapons removed from the streets included a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, machetes and dozens of knives and bladed articles.

GMP said then that knife crime continued to be a main priority in each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs and welcomed the fall in reported offences in Salford over the previous year.

What the latest figures do not show

The available reporting confirms the headline 44% fall but does not provide several important details. SalfordNow did not specify the time period covered by the statistics, the number of offences recorded before and after the reduction, the types of knife-related offences involved, or whether the figures include attempted murder, assault, robbery or possession offences.

GMP’s published crime data materials indicate that the force uses an internal definition for knife crime under the ADR 160 classification, excluding cancelled crimes. A previous freedom of information release showed recorded knife crime figures for Salford rising from 267 in 2019/20 to 462 in 2023/24, although those figures cover earlier financial years and cannot be used to verify the newly reported 44% reduction.

Residents and community groups should therefore treat the 44% figure as a reported police statistic rather than a complete measure of all violence or weapon-related harm in the city.

Background of the development

Salford has been a focus of Greater Manchester policing activity on serious violence for several years. GMP formed Operation Naseby in April 2020 to disrupt organised crime groups in the city, and later reported significant reductions in shootings alongside seizures of drugs and weapons.

The force has also worked with Salford City Council and other partners under the Serious Violence Duty, which requires local agencies to collaborate on prevention. Salford’s current strategy, covering 2024 to 2027, identifies organised crime, exploitation and safeguarding concerns as central issues in responding to serious violence.

More recently, GMP received £1.8 million from the Home Office Knife Crime Concentration Fund, with the force saying the money would help increase police activity. The latest SalfordNow report on the 44% fall in knife crime was published on 19 October 2026.

Prediction: What could this mean for Salford residents?

For Salford residents, a sustained 44% reduction in recorded knife crime could mean fewer incidents involving blades in public spaces, fewer police-reported violent offences and greater confidence in neighbourhood safety. It may also encourage GMP and Salford City Council to continue directing resources towards visible patrols, hotspot policing and partnership work aimed at preventing violence before it occurs.

For parents, young people and community organisations, the figures may support ongoing prevention work, particularly where police and local agencies focus on youth violence, exploitation and organised crime. However, the effect on day-to-day safety will depend on whether the reduction continues across future reporting periods and whether the underlying causes of serious violence are addressed alongside enforcement.

For local businesses and community leaders, continued falls could reduce the perceived risk associated with violent crime, while additional Home Office funding may allow GMP to maintain or expand activity in Salford. The key measure for residents will be whether the reported improvement is sustained in future GMP statistics and reflected in fewer serious violence incidents across the city.