Over forty wanted criminals rounded up as part of force-wide operation

Operation Crossbow has seen over forty wanted criminals who have evaded justice brought into police custody following a multifaceted day of action.

On Monday 2nd February, over 100 officers from multiple departments across the Constabulary gathered at Cheshire Police Headquarters in Winsford to take part in Operation Crossbow.

The bespoke collaborative effort, which aims to disrupt criminal activity across Cheshire and its borders, included police colleagues from roads policing, armed response, motorcycles, dogs, drones, the Special Constabulary, and local policing, all working together. It was rolled out with the goal of targeting criminals who remained wanted and had yet to be brought into police custody.

As a particular focus for the force’s first Crossbow operation for 2026, officers intensified their efforts in locating criminals who remained outstanding for offences including violence against women and girls (VAWG), domestic abuse and rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO).

To kick off the day of action over 100 officers, joined by members of the Constabulary's Senior Command Team, Crown Prosecution Service, Probation colleagues, local councillors, Members of Parliament and community partners, filed into Headquarters for a motivational address delivered by Chief Constable Mark Roberts and an operational briefing from Detective Superintendent Chris Williams.

The teams then took to their vehicles and rolled out across the county.

Their efforts resulted in 43 outstanding criminals being arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and criminal damage, as well as rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, child abduction and kidnap.

Highlights from the day also included officers locating a man who was wanted for breaching a court order hiding in a loft under installation and the arrest of a man in Ellesmere Port who had been following patrols conducting address checks, only to be pulled over and then arrested himself after officers found pepper spray and an imitation firearm in the boot of his car.

Two people were also arrested in the Grimsby area in relation to a kidnap in Winsford.

Over the course of the day, a number of wanted criminals within Cheshire handed themselves into police.

Alongside the rounding up of wanted criminals, there were other operational activities that took place across the county as part of Operation Crossbow.

Officers from the Commercial Vehicle Unit and Bike Team were deployed near the A556 and the M56 motorway, both very busy routes through Cheshire, to conduct safety and compliance checks on HGVs and other vehicles. This work resulted in officers issuing 11 traffic reports for speeding, two vehicles being seized for not having insurance and the arrest of two men suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Officers also joined Cheshire West and Chester local authority and Wolverhampton Taxi Licensing Team for vehicle checks, with 12 taxis stopped and drivers given advice around identification lanyards, required notice stickers and the requirements of their taxi licence.

One driver was suspended and directed to stop operating due to having an expired plate on his vehicle.

A number of trading standard operations were also conducted across Chester and Northwich, with considerable amounts of illegal tobacco and vapes seized by officers and their colleagues. During the operation, Trading Standards colleagues also issued a court order to close a vape shop in the Chester area.

As well as this, the Underwater Search Team were deployed to Winsford Marina to conduct a routine proactive dive and colleagues from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team served a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to an inmate at HMP Altcourse.

Detective Superintendent Chris Williams, who oversaw the operation, said:

"Operation Crossbow is a perfect opportunity to highlight to our community partners and you, our Cheshire residents, the tireless efforts put in by our officers 365 days a year to keep Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals while keeping residents safe.

"This day of intensified action saw officers of various ranks, departments and expertise come together with a common goal in mind: to bring in wanted criminals who are bold enough to think they can get away with escaping justice.

"And as today's operation has shown, they were very much mistaken with our officers tracking down over 40 wanted criminals and bringing them into our custody facilities to face the music and be put before the courts. Not only this, but due to the outstanding proactive policework and considerable pressure applied by our officers deployed across the county, a number of wanted individuals actively chose to hand themselves in at several of our helpdesks.

"This operation, the first of five deployments for 2026, shows just a small snapshot of our officers' unwavering efforts in all areas in which we excel in day in, day out, and are part of our everyday policing tactics to continue to keep people safe and reduce crime.

"Whilst the proactive side of the operation has concluded for today, our officers will continue working into the night to complete all the necessary actions from what has been a very busy day for the Constabulary.

“With that in mind, I would like to thank all our officers, staff and community partners who played a role in today's operation. It is their professionalism and commitment to keeping our residents safe that have led to us securing such positive results."