Man arrested and suspected firearm recovered from Rice Lane Recreation Ground

We have arrested a man and recovered a suspected firearm following an incident in Liverpool yesterday (Wednesday 19 April).

At around 9pm, two males were spotted acting suspiciously in Rice Lane Recreation Ground and appeared to discard a number of items.

Following enquiries, officers found a suspected firearm which had been left next to a tree and it has now been forensically recovered to establish if it is a viable weapon.

A 32-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested nearby on suspicion of possession of a firearm without a certificate and theft of a motor vehicle. He remains in police custody.

Officers remain at the scene while enquiries are carried out.

Detective Sergeant Astbury said: “Our streets are made safer with every weapon we take out of circulation and every arrest we make in relation to firearms. I am delighted that we were able to recover this weapon and prevent it from causing fear and harm in our communities.

“We are committed to taking weapons off our streets and, rest assured, if you tell us about any suspected possession or offences we will take action and put those responsible before the courts.

“Merseyside Police pro-actively investigates serious organised crime including the use of guns and the supply and distribution of drugs on Merseyside and is relentless in its pursuit of offenders.

“We will always take immediate action to incidents involving guns and we are actively working to make Merseyside a safer place to live and work.

“Information from the public is vital if we are to breakdown the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets.

“It is vital that members of our communities come forward with information so we can make our communities safer for the decent, law abiding people who live in areas affected by gun crime.”

If you have any information about the suspected storage, possession and use of firearms and ammunition, please contact us directly via @MerPolCC on Twitter, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, by calling 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.