They broadly supported Manchester council leader Richard Leese's letter to Chief Constable Michael Todd.
Labour MP James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde) said Mr Todd, who took over as chief last year, had been a breath of fresh air. However, he added: "There shouldn't be any excuse for yob behaviour and crime. Significant amounts of extra cash have been pumped in nationally and from local authorities and people expect to see results.
"All of us have to work together - police, community wardens and ordinary citizens, in attacking crime. We don't have to tolerate yob behaviour.
"I think anti-social behaviour is too soft a term for it."
Manchester Central Labour MP Tony Lloyd, a former minister, said concern about rising crime was the biggest single issue in his constituency.
"The chief constable has not been there very long, he's a new broom. There are changes taking place but the police have to recognise that the public does want more from the police service," he said.
"More resources have gone in and more people are in uniform. We now need that to be reflected in tackling the problem of a low detection rate."
Mr Lloyd backed Coun Leese, who he said was speaking for the people of the city.
Dr Brian Iddon, Labour MP for Bolton South-East, has spent 30 days with the Greater Manchester force as part of a parliamentary scheme to give MPs first-hand experience of life on the beat.
During that time he went up in the police helicopter, spent six shifts with Salford police, and also went in an armed response vehicle.
"They have been understaffed and have not been as well funded as West Midlands Police, who have similar crime levels. There is an issue of resources and the chief constable is trying to sort it out with the Home Secretary," said Dr Iddon.
"Having said that, the crime statistics are a little out of date. With the new police chief, and new management structure and extra police, they should begin to make in-roads into crime."
He added: "The figures have to be taken with a pinch of salt and we have to remember they have been short-staffed - on the front line in Salford there should have been nine or ten officers on duty in a shift but I found they were lucky if they got five or six."
Liberal Democrat MP Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove) said that like most of his MP colleagues he had great concerns about the level of crime in Greater Manchester.
"I'm not sure that the head-butting approach by the leader of the city council is the way to solve it," said Mr Stunell.
"I've found the police co-operative. In the past they have not had the people or the resources to do the job and in Stockport we took a hit on the council tax to pay for more officers.
"The police have a difficult job to do across Greater Manchester and they're struggling to cope. But I think co-operation, rather than confrontation is the way to go about it."
Tory MP Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West), who is the parliamentary aide to new Tory leader Michael Howard, said he had no problems with CounLeese's letter. "The line is, I think, that the chief constable, according to his own comments since his appointment, doesn't believe that the performance of Greater Manchester Police in apprehending criminals and bringing them to justice, is adequate.
"I don't think Coun Leese's remarks will come as any surprise to him. We are all determined to make Greater Manchester a safer place to live and work and to do that, we must have high expectations of the police and give them the support they need and deserve."
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