Fewer shootings bring Greater Manchester a measure of relief

Greater Manchester recorded 16 shootings in the year to April 2026, down from 71 five years earlier. Police have recovered more than 420 viable firearms since April 2021, according to figures reported by the BBC.

Part of the response has focused on blank-firing weapons that criminals can convert into lethal guns. The National Crime Agency’s testing led to a sales and import crackdown on four Turkish brands, alongside a surrender scheme in February 2025.

Police also point to action against rival criminal groups. Manchester peace campaigner Erinma Bell says community organisations deserve recognition too, for giving young people alternatives to gun and gang crime.

The figures cannot tell us how much each approach contributed, and Bell warns that the reasons young people pick up weapons remain unresolved.

Still, the decline means fewer incidents capable of devastating families and neighbourhoods. By the September report, Greater Manchester had gone three and a half years without a fatal shooting.

Sources

• BBC — Shootings down more than 77% in Greater Manchester
• National Crime Agency — Testing, supply restrictions and the surrender scheme