16 people arrested following warrants executed across Merseyside to tackle serious organised crime

A Skorpion firearm was seized in March this year as part of this ongoing investigation

Officers have this morning, Thursday 9 November, arrested 16 people and executed eight warrants across Merseyside as part of our relentless activity to disrupt serious organised crime groups.

Warrants were executed at addresses in West Derby, Wavertree, Orrell Park, Aintree, Knowsley and Kensington as part of an ongoing operation.

During today’s warrants 13 males, aged 16, 35, 27, 26, 23, 56, 51, 35, 46, 29, 26, 29 and 61, and three women, aged 37, 52, and 37, were arrested on suspicion of various offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Ball said: “Today’s warrants are just another example of how Merseyside Police is relentless in its pursuit of those involved in serious organised crime, including the use of guns and the supply and distribution of drugs on Merseyside.

“Sadly, there are still a number of people who are prepared to use guns on our streets and causing harm, through the use of violence and weapons, on our streets, with little or no regard for other members of the community.

“My message to those involved in gun crime and serious organised crime is clear – Merseyside Police will never rest, we are relentless in our pursuit of those involved.

“We have worked hard over the last 18 months to reduce the number of firearms discharges on our streets and we will do everything in our power to prevent further discharges, which lead to damage to property, injury or loss of life.”

Other previous successes of this operation has seen the seizure of a Skorpion machine gun, £100,000 in cash, 2kgs of cocaine, 400 grams of crack cocaine, 4.5kg of heroin and 3.5kg of cannabis.

The firearm was found on Thursday 2 March this year. That seizure led to an offender being sentenced to five and a half years for possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a firearm without a certificate and possession of controlled Class B drugs (cannabis) with intent to supply.

Det Ch Insp Ball added: “Last year we saw the loss of three lives due to the use of Skorpion weapons on the streets of Merseyside. These weapons are highly dangerous and can fire up to 800 rounds a minute, there is no place for them on our streets.

“Merseyside Police is committed to preventing the use of firearms and since April this year we have seen a significant reduction in the number of firearms discharges across the county.

“Last year, there were 49 firearm discharges in Merseyside and so far in 2023 there have only been 14, which is a 64% decrease.

“In January this year, it was the first calendar month when we had zero discharges since records began. This was then repeated for the months of June and September.

“In 2022 we had more than halved the number of discharges in Merseyside compared to 2012 and we hope that this will be further reduced this year – one firearm discharged on our streets is one too many and sadly last year we saw the pain and suffering of five families who lost their loved ones as result of gun crime.

“Enforcement operations like the warrants carried out today illustrates that Merseyside Police will proactively tackle issues that matter most to our residents and keep our streets safe. This supports the work we do every day of the year to tackle those involved in serious organised crime.

“Information from the public is vital if we are to breakdown the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets and I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.

“I completely understand that speaking up could be daunting, but when people are willing to support the police we will ensure every possible avenue is progressed to protect them. We have seen this year the sentences for Thomas Cashman (life sentence with a minimum term of 42 years) and Connor Chapman (life sentence with minimum term of 48 years) for the murders of Olivia and Elle. This illustrates how information from the community can lead to successful prosecutions and how the community can help us put dangerous offenders behind bars.

“And if you don’t feel comfortable coming directly to the police you can call the independent, anonymous, Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111, we need to know who is involved in gun crime and where those guns are being stored.”

Information from the public is vital to the success of the ongoing work and anyone who has information about firearms or drug dealing in your community, you can DM us @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101.