Overview
- Sir Stephen Watson detained a fleeing suspect near Sedgley Park after spotting a foot pursuit during a passing out parade on November 6, in a move local media noted is uncommon for a chief constable.
- The pursuit followed a reported theft on Bury New Road in Prestwich in which a security guard was allegedly assaulted.
- Body-worn camera footage released by Greater Manchester Police shows the chief holding the suspect as officers carried out the arrest.
- Officers also detained another man and a woman nearby, and all three suspects in their 30s remain in custody on suspicion of theft.
- GMP linked the arrests to a wider crackdown, citing nearly 500 suspected shoplifters brought to justice each month and more than 6,000 offences solved in the year to September 2025.