A 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft following an incident that led to shops going into lockdown in Altrincham town centre this morning.
The arrest was made on Stamford New Road at around 8:42am outside the Altrincham Interchange as people headed to work and children made their way to school.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed the man is currently in custody.
Officers were initially called to reports of a man in possession of a knife, but no weapon was found. Police discovered the item in his hand was actually a stolen phone.
As a precautionary measure, several businesses near the interchange went into lockdown, with customers including children locked inside while police responded to the incident.
One local school sent an email alert to parents explaining that some students had been in shops that went into lockdown.
The message stated: “We understand that a member of the public was behaving in a concerning way in the town centre area. There were reports that this individual may have been in possession of a weapon.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft on Stamford New Road in Altrincham at around 8:42am this morning (Thursday 29 January 2026). He is in police custody.
“We were initially called to reports of a man being in possession of a knife, however no such item was found in his possession.“
