In the last three weeks, there have been three separate knife incidents at Manchester Arndale.
On Saturday 17th October, a 14-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after receiving a knife wound with two other 14-year-old boys being arrested in connection to the incident.
Then on Saturday 24th, a 19-year-old man was arrested after an attempted knife assault, and charged with “possession of a bladed article in a public place”.
Following that – on Tuesday 27th October, four teenage boys were arrested in connection to the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy.
All of these incidents occurred either in, or just outside of Manchester Arndale.
And yesterday (Sunday 1st November) a man was stabbed outside a casino on Lever Street, near Piccadilly Gardens.
None of the victims received fatal injuries, but public fears are rising.
People responded to reports of the most recent incident on Facebook, expressing shock and fear.
One commentor wrote “and they want us to come to the Christmas markets?”.
Another comment said “anybody surprised at this point?”.
There are fears amongst the community that this will not be the last of these series of stabbings, and that the Arndale could be unsafe during Christmas time: the busiest time of year for the popular shopping centre.
GMP have stated that there will be an “increased police presence” following the several knife incidents, with “stop and search” warrants being authorised within the area.
Superintendent Simon Nasim from our City of Manchester team said: “Firstly my thoughts are with the young boy who was injured and I wish him a quick recovery. We are aware of the other incidents in the city centre of this nature, but at this stage they are not thought to be linked. Our communities should not be in fear of harm, and our priority is taking effective action with partners against those involved in anti-social behaviour and criminality. Knife crime is understandably a concern amongst our communities, and we have dedicated teams who will be deployed across the city centre to hotspot areas to strengthen our response to violent crime, and provide a reassuring message to our public. We will not tolerate hate and violence in GM, and we will take effective action against those who are causing harm to our vulnerable and young communities. But we cannot tackle it alone. We rely on the cooperation of the public, to report anything that looks suspicious or any incidents to us, and we will be sure to act on it. Our investigation into yesterday’s incident is ongoing, I urge anyone with information to please come forward. This includes anyone who may have witnessed it, or has CCTV or mobile phone footage.”
The GMP website reinforced what actions should be taken if you witness anything suspicious:
Reports can be made to 0161 856 1495, or via the LiveChat function on our website, quoting log 3058 of 28/10/26.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Always call 999 in an emergency.