Sixteen arrests and machine gun seized as police launch dawn crackdown on gangs in Merseyside

9 November 2023, 13:02 | Updated: 9 November 2023, 13:08

Sixteen people were arrested during the series of dawn raids on Merseyside
Sixteen people were arrested during the series of dawn raids on Merseyside. Picture: LBC

By Chris Chambers

Sixteen people have been arrested during a series of dawn raids on Merseyside, designed to tackle organised crime gangs.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The operation centred around the use of firearms after a Skorpion machine gun was seized in March. The firearms, which are Czech-designed, are capable of firing 800 rounds a minute.

Skorpion weapons were used in three high-profile murders in Merseyside last year, including the shooting of 26-year-old beautician Elle Edwards, who was hit when gunman Connor Chapman opened fire outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on Christmas Eve.

Police conduct raid on property in Liverpool

Ashley Dale, 28, also died having been shot with a Skorpion at her home in Old Swan last year. Five men are currently standing trial accused of her murder.

Read more: Musician who sold teenage girls for sex after promising them a modelling career jailed for 13 years

Read more: Fury as shopper filmed berating poppy seller in Northern Ireland saying they are ‘badges for murderers’

Eight warrants were executed at properties at 7am on Thursday morning, with 16 people being arrested. Three of those were women.

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Ball told LBC: "Skorpion firearms have been shown to be particularly devastating in our communities, as was seen last year with the murder of three of our community members, so it's absolutely essential we get these firearms off our streets.

"The activity today shows and highlights how committed we are around pursuing and actively pursuing those engaged in this level of criminality."

Mr Ball said this year had seen 14 firearm discharges in Merseyside, compared with 49 last year, but urged anyone with information about weapons to get in touch.

He added: "We do have ways to protect people, I understand that it's daunting for people to pass that information but these types of criminals are exploiting the young people in our community and those that are most vulnerable so it's essential that we work together to target this and get the guns off our streets. We won't stop until we've got all of the guns off our streets.

"It's been shown over recent years the level of violence criminals are willing to use on Merseyside and by the nature of using weapons like Skorpions, that are capable of such devastation, that shows what they're willing to do.

"It does present a challenge but that's why we want to work with the community because it's working together with the community that's going to combat this effectively. We can't do it on our own."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Emergency services responded on Friday to a report of two children, a boy and a girl, who were facing difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent.

Body found in search for missing girl who vanished in the River Thames as rescued boy remains in stable condition

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, at NATO headquarters

Pete Hegseth warns Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be 'imminent'

Michael Mosley died while on holiday with his wife on the Greek island of Symi last year

Michael Mosley's family set up research project in his memory after TV doctor's tragic death on Greek island

x

'UK’s poshest thief' who pinched Le Creuset cookware dodges jail after premium 'shoplifting spree'

A woman sits in a flooded area after heavy rainfall in the market town of Mokwa, north-central Nigeria

Death toll in Nigeria rises to 151 as country hit with torrential rains

Royal Terrace Pier Gravesend

Search for missing girl continues after two children got into trouble in River Thames

The 'breakthrough' therapy could delay the need for 'gruelling' chemotherapy

'Breakthrough' three-drug therapy could slow advance of aggressive breast cancer

Valerie Mahaffey attends Netflix's ÒDead To MeÓ Season 1 Premiere held at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA on Thursday, May 2, 2019. (Photo By Michael Tran/Sipa USA)

Desperate Housewives star Valerie Mahaffey dies aged 71 - as tributes paid to 'endearing' actress

Man, 31, arrested after car 'collides with multiple pedestrians' in Leicester city centre

Man, 31, arrested after car 'collides with multiple pedestrians' in Leicester city centre

TOPSHOT-ATHLETICS-OLY-PARIS-2024

Doctors increasingly concerned about rocketing number of British athletes ‘with ADHD’

A British Airways Airbus A321 plane bound for London’s Heathrow Airport takes off from the Belgian capital's Zaventem airport

British Airways cabin crew member found ‘dancing high and naked in business class’ aboard London-bound flight

Two adults and a teenager have died following a single-vehicle collision on the M5 on Friday evening

Two adults and teenager killed in horror M5 motorway crash - as second child fights for life in hospital

President Donald Trump dances after speaking at the U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works-Irvin plant, Friday, May 30, 2025, in West Mifflin, Pa. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Donald Trump doubles tariffs on US steel imports - as president takes swipe at China

Mourad Aid, 41, pleaded guilty to theft after walking off with the couple's suitcase

Thief jailed for stealing Jenson Button's wife's £250,000 jewellery and handbag collection

The scene of the alleged hit and run on Frodsham Street, Rusholme, Greater Manchester

Man arrested following suspected hit-and-run which saw Manchester police sergeant 'reversed into several times'

Police crime scene tape UK

Two men arrested on suspicion of murder after man dies in Devon garden following assault