Police in Trafford made 23 arrests and seized 14 vehicles as part of a major crackdown on robbery and the trading of stolen goods.

Activity included raids on retail outlets, checks on public transport, use of Automated Number Plate Recognition and covert surveillance.

The day of action was put in place to tackle a predicted increase in robbery offences during January.

Historically there can be up to a 30 per cent rise, attributable to expensive items bought over Christmas as well as criminals becoming more active at this time of the year.

The crackdown saw GMP working in partnership with a number of agencies including Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) and Drakes Independent Civil Enforcement Agency*.

It was just part of the activity police will be doing over the coming months to combat robbery and those who sell stolen property.

Officers also travelled with bus inspectors on routes through robbery hotspot areas, while Stagecoach and First bus operators provided footage from CCTV cameras on the buses to help identify and target known offenders.

Chief Superintendent Janette McCormick of Trafford Police said: "This is an excellent example of partner agencies working together effectively to make it harder for criminals to profit from their crimes.

"Trafford Police are committed to making our streets safer and we are determined to drive robbery levels down even further."

Police are still urging people to help break the chain of criminality by reporting the sale of stolen goods - if there is less demand for stolen goods, supply will decrease.

They can do this by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or GMP on 0161 872 5050 or through the website.