Criminals recruiting children to damage Greater Manchester HMOs, police believe

Dozens of properties across Greater Manchester have been attacked in a recent campaign of criminal damage. The damage includes smashed windows and graffiti on walls and doors. This matters because some buildings were targeted simply because people believed, sometimes wrongly, that they were HMOs linked to immigrants or refugees.

Salford has seen most of the reported incidents. Properties in Stockport and Tameside have also been targeted. Cars near the houses were damaged as well, showing that the attacks have affected more than the buildings themselves. Police say the campaign began on 5 October.

Police have received at least 46 separate reports. Officers have arrested several people, including a 13-year-old boy and four people during the week described. Police say they are continuing to target suspected offenders and people believed to be organising or encouraging the damage across different areas.

HMO means “house in multiple occupation.” In everyday terms, it is a property where several people who are not one household live there, often sharing facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. HMOs can provide housing for unrelated tenants, including people needing temporary or supported accommodation.

The article does not give a formal definition, but it reports that the attacked buildings were either HMOs or properties mistaken for HMOs. Graffiti included the words “no HMO.” Police believe the properties were targeted because attackers connected them with immigrants or refugees. Some buildings were therefore damaged even when that belief was mistaken.

This distinction matters because suspicion alone led to attacks on homes and nearby cars. Salford council removed banners opposing “migrant HMOs,” warning that they could spread misinformation and worsen cohesion. The police investigation continues, with arrests linked to the wider criminal-damage campaign.

The campaign is large enough to span several parts of Greater Manchester. Police have received at least 46 separate reports of criminal damage, and the article describes dozens of properties being targeted. Most incidents were in Salford, with others in Stockport and Tameside. Cars were also damaged alongside houses.

Four people were arrested during the week covered. On Monday, two men aged 46 and 39 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. On Wednesday, a 33-year-old man was arrested on the same suspicion. A 42-year-old man was later arrested over suspected criminal damage at a Salford address.

Police had also made earlier arrests, including a 13-year-old boy. The figures show both the spread of the campaign and the continuing investigation. Police say they are targeting offenders and people suspected of using or exploiting children to organise the attacks.

Police believe the attacks are driven by a belief that certain houses accommodate immigrants or refugees. The targeted properties are HMOs, or buildings people think are HMOs. That belief has sometimes been wrong. The campaign therefore threatens homes based on suspicion rather than confirmed information.

Windows have been smashed, and walls and doors sprayed with graffiti saying “fuck off” and “no HMO.” Cars have also been targeted near the houses. Salford council removed roadside banners saying “IRLAM AND CADISHEAD SAY NO TO MIGRANT HMOs.” The council warned that the banners could spread misinformation and escalate cohesion problems.

This connection between housing and migration has helped spread the attacks across areas. Police say online platforms pushed the message into different communities. Posts showing damaged houses attracted praise and predictions of more violence. The continuing danger is that more properties, residents, and vehicles could be targeted because of an unverified belief about who lives there.

Police believe social media is helping the attacks spread. Online platforms have been used to push the message across different areas. This matters because posts can turn isolated property damage into a wider campaign, especially when comments praise the attacks or predict that more violence will follow.

Police also suspect criminals are exploiting vulnerable people and paying them to damage buildings they believe are HMOs. Some of those exploited are believed to be children. The reported damage includes smashed windows and graffiti on houses, while cars have been attacked too. Officers have arrested people on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to commit criminal damage.

The investigation is therefore examining both the people carrying out the damage and those who may organise or encourage it. Police say they are relentlessly targeting suspected organisers and people using children. Social media criticism, including from domestic abuse survivors housed in HMOs, shows that online reaction is divided.

Criminal damage can make residents feel unsafe in their own homes and can leave windows, doors, walls, and cars needing repair. The campaign also targets houses because of beliefs about immigrants or refugees. That can place pressure on residents and widen suspicion against people associated with migration or HMO housing.

Salford council warned that the roadside banners could spread misinformation, escalate cohesion issues, and create potential for inciteful behaviour. Social media posts showing damaged houses received hundreds of comments. Many praised the attacks and predicted further violence. This creates a mechanism for the campaign to gain attention and encourage imitation.

The article also records criticism from domestic abuse survivors recently housed in HMOs, showing that the damage can affect vulnerable residents directly. Police say the attacks are not tolerated and are targeting suspected offenders. Further arrests and continued police action may follow, while the online campaign risks extending the damage into more communities.

Criminal damage generally means intentionally or recklessly damaging property belonging to another person without a lawful excuse. In this campaign, examples include smashed windows and graffiti sprayed on walls and doors. Cars were also damaged. The offence matters because it harms property and can frighten people living in or near the targeted buildings.

The article reports arrests on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Conspiracy involves an alleged agreement between people to commit an offence. Police also suspect that vulnerable people were paid or used to carry out attacks, and that some exploited people were children. These claims concern possible roles behind the visible damage.

Organising, encouraging, or exploiting someone to commit crime can create additional offences or increase the seriousness of an investigation, depending on the facts and applicable law. The article does not identify every possible charge. It says police are targeting offenders and those believed to orchestrate the criminality, including people using children.