Another man, aged 39, of no fixed abode, handed himself in later on in the day, and was arrested under suspicion of Section 18 assault and rape of a child aged between 13 and 15-years-old – all offences which are believed to have taken place in around 2007.

Operation Green Jacket was launched in 2017, after Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, ordered a review into the effectiveness of multi-agency responses to CSE throughout Greater Manchester. And since then there has been a total of 31 arrests under Op Green Jacket and a further 13 under Op Bridgewater.

Manchester City Council has been supporting Operation Green Jacket with considerable staff time dedicated to working closely with GMP, and the continue to rigorously review relevant documents to ensure no stone is left unturned.

Two other major non-recent operations within the Force CSE Unit include the recently launched Operation Sherwood, which covers offences carried out in Oldham between 2011 and 2014, and Operation Lytton in Rochdale, which focuses on the perpetrators of offences spanning from 2002 to 2006 – which was actually launched before the Mayor’s review began.

Operation Lytton is already seeing results, and in 2023 the CSE Unit will be taking a group of eight defendants to trial, collectively charged with 82 offences, including rape, sexual activity with a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and gross indecency, among others.

As the number of investigations increase, so does the Force CSE team as the team looks to increase the numbers of officers and staff from 85 to 106 in the new year, such is the commitment to bringing more offenders to justice.

Detective Superintendent Dave Kehoe, who heads up GMP’s CSE Unit said: “Yesterday’s arrests are just further examples of the excellent investigative work the team is doing in pursuing perpetrators and getting justice for the victims of CSE, regardless of the number of years that have passed.

“These investigations are extremely complex and rely on the victims and as such, we are eternally grateful to the many women who have come forward to ensure we are successful in identifying, arresting and charging these individuals.

“It is extremely distressing for them to re-live the events they lived through as children, which has shaped the rest of their lives – and their bravery has to be commended.

“Since the inception of Operation Green Jacket, we have worked closely with local councils to deliver a succinct multi-agency response. Our arrests this year shows the journey we are going on, and just because these crimes were committed years ago, does not mean that you will evade justice.

“We have many active ongoing investigations with the aim of delivering more positive action throughout 2023.”

Paul Marshall, Strategic Director for Children’s Services at Manchester City Council, said: “Operation Green Jacket is a compelling example of how the whole approach to tackling child sexual exploitation has been significantly strengthened, with Greater Manchester Police and the Council working together to protect children and pursue offenders.

“I commend the work which is taking place to secure justice for victims of CSE and ensure that offenders, including in non-recent cases such as those being investigated through Operation Green Jacket are brought to justice.”