Two arrested and two firearms seized

We arrested two men following an incident in Seacombe on Wednesday evening (20 November).

At 6.15pm, a Ford Transit van was stopped on Wheatland Lane and the occupants were searched. A suspected firearm was recovered, along with a lock knife and friction lock baton. The weapon, assessed as being a blank firing gun, and the vehicle are being forensically examined.

Following a search of a property in Birkenhead, a second blank firing firearm and a quantity of blank firing ammunition were recovered for examination.

A 41-year-old man from Moreton and a 30-year-old man from Birkenhead have been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and taken to a police station for questioning.

Detective Inspector Nick Suffield said: “While these weapons are blank-firing guns, they appear to the untrained eye to be real weapons capable of causing serious injury, and they could have been used to create further fear in our communities.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of those involved in gun crime and will continue to carry out searches of suspects and vehicles in this way to make our streets safer. I’d urge anyone who has any information about firearms in their community to get in contact with officers so that we can take them out of circulation.”

Anyone with information on where firearms are being stored is asked to contact Merseyside Police via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC, on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information. In an emergency, always call 999.