Cops search park in gang crackdown
WEAPONS HUNT IS PART OF OPERATION TO STOP ARMED FEUD
POLICE searched a park for weapons as they attempt to diffuse a violent gang feud in north Manchester.
Acting on intelligence they used sniffer dogs to hunt for guns and ammunition believed to be stashed in and around Mandley Park on the border of Salford and Cheetham Hill.
It follows the successful recovery of guns found in sweeps of other parks in Salford and land near to the River Irwell in Kersal.
Yesterday’s search was linked to a gun war between two Cheetham Hill based organised crime groups which erupted at the end of 2019 and resulted in a spate of tit-for-tat shootings over the next year.
In several of the incidents young men were shot and seriously injured. They have included a drive-by shooting and vehicles and homes being blasted.
The tension was increased when a
Salford gang from Broughton became involved - feuding with one of the Cheetham Hill groups.
In the last incident a 27-year-old man was hit multiple times after being shot at up to five times in Manton Close, Salford, near the border with Cheetham Hill.
In a bid to reduce firearms incidents and crime in the district, a special team of officers was created by GMP.
They are part of Operation Haemus – formed in November 2019 following a dramatic increase in firearm discharges stemming from two main local criminal groups in Cheetham Hill.
In the first six weeks since the launch of the disruption hub, Operation Haemus officers have made a total of 25 arrests, conducted 122 stop searches and have searched 15 houses.
Two guns, large quantities of class A and class B drugs, and 13 vehicles have been seized.
Police work closely with Manchester City Council, housing providers, social services, and adult services in a bid to protect vulnerable people from being exploited.
This includes providing safeguarding measures and care packages to protect and support vulnerable adults and children at risk of being targeted, coerced and victimised by criminal activity.
Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of GMP’s North Manchester division, said: “The launch of the disruption hub as part of Operation Haemus is a very welcome introduction for the people of North Manchester, as it’s the latest in a series of proactive measures we’ve employed in recent months to tackle the blight of serious and organised crime in our community.
“It is important that we maximise the resources we have available to us, and we have ensured that we have a dedicated and skilful team working around the clock to disrupt the activity of criminal groups, while protecting the public that we serve.
“As ever, we continue to urge members of the public to contact police with any information or concerns, knowing that it will be treated with the strictest confidence – we have high-visibility patrols that can be approached, or a dedicated phone number.”
Call 0161 8563548 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
We have a dedicated and skilful team working around the clock to disrupt the activity of criminal groups. Supt Rebecca Boyce