Shootings down more than 77% in Greater Manchester

Shootings in Greater Manchester have fallen by more than three quarters in the past five years, police figures show.

According to GMP figures, there were 16 firearms discharges in the 12 months to April 2026, down from 71 in 2020-21, a fall of 77.5% over five years.

The force has also recovered more than 420 viable weapons since April 2021. It comes as Greater Manchester marks three-and-a-half years without a fatal shooting in the region.

Det Supt Joe Harrop, head of serious and organised crime at GMP, said retaliatory shootings between rival groups had become less common because of the force's "robust police response".

In 2008, there were 146 shootings in Greater Manchester.

This number had more than halved by 2020.

Firearms discharges across the region have not fallen consistently year on year since 2020.

But GMP data shows there has been a significant drop off in gun violence rates over the period - with the rate almost halving from 29 incidents in 2024 - 2025, to 16 in 2025 to 2026.

Number of firearms discharges:

• 2020 to 2021: 71

• 2021 to 2022: 46

• 2022 to 2023: 26

• 2023 to 2024: 28

• 2024 to 2025: 29

• 2025 to 2026: 16

• Since 1 April 2026: 3

Det Supt Harrop said a crackdown on converted blank-firing weapons and significant sentences for those convicted of gun crime had also helped bring down offending.

Five years ago, around a third of shootings in Greater Manchester involved blank-firing guns that had been converted into usable firearms.

Costing less than £100 and capable of being converted into lethal weapons in less than an hour using common household tools, they became a popular choice among organised criminal gangs, according to GMP.

However, police forces across the country have recovered increasing numbers of the weapons in recent years following changes to the enforcement of firearms legislation after National Crime Agency testing highlighted how easily they could be converted.

The guns were previously legal to own, but anyone found in possession of one can now face up to 10 years in prison, even if it has not been converted.

Harrop said police action against organised crime groups had also helped reduce tit-for-tat shootings between rivals.

He pointed to a series of five shootings in Derker in Oldham between November 2024 and January 2025, which police linked to a dispute over drug territory and which led to the recovery of several firearms.

"Recovering more than 420 viable firearms since 2021 is a significant achievement," Harrop said.

"While these figures are encouraging, we are not complacent and remain absolutely committed to targeting more offenders who seek to bring violence and fear into our communities."

The last fatal shooting in Greater Manchester was in March 2023, when Zikel Bobmanuel was killed in Openshaw.

His half-brother, Rumaal Ingram, was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years after admitting manslaughter.

Harrop added: "Every firearm we recover is a potential life saved."

Gun crime campaigner Prof Erinma Bell, who founded CARISMA in Manchester after witnessing a shooting in 2002, said community groups had also played their part in reducing gun crime.

"It's encouraging to see," Bell said.

"That is not only down to police but communities doing prevention work - providing positive alternatives for our young people.

"They are also responsible for that reduction in gun crime."

While welcoming the improvements, Bell said gun violence has not been solved.

"We shouldn't become complacent," she said.

"We haven't solved the issue of why young people decide to pick up deadly weapons in the first place, in a country where guns are illegal."

"Sixteen shootings is still 16 shootings too many."

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