A SECRET group of crime-busters - their individual identities known to very few people -, has been operating for exactly 10 years in Greater Manchester.

In that time they have helped put rapists, thieves, drug dealers and killers behind bars - and they have led directly to the recovery of a massive £10 million worth of stolen goods.

Last year alone the organisation was responsible for more than 750 arrests and the recovery of guns, drugs and stolen property worth £1.5 million.

Each member operates alone and none has ever been praised publicly, though some are rewarded for their efforts quietly - and in total security.

But these are not SAS-style specialists, they are the members of the public who have made Crimestoppers one of the rare successes in the battle against the rising tide of crime during the past decade.

And the operation in Greater Manchester has proved the most successful in the country securing, during the past three years, more arrests and convictions than any other area - including London.

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