Armed police in raid in hunt for firearms
Area swarmed by ‘silent’ officers
ARMED police carried out a raid hunting for firearms in a closed-off compound on the side of a major road.
Around a dozen police officers, including at least three firearms officers in tactical clothing and ar med with automatic rifles, were part of the operation at 10.15am yesterday.
Hampshire police confirmed they have been conducting a firearm warrant and searches at the address i n Newgate Lane, Stubbington.
Officers swarmed the area, near Souther n Water’s Peel Common wastewater treatment works, as they executed the warrant and conducted searches.
No arrests have been made. At one point a man was taken to the rear of a police van but was then released.
Detective Inspector Abbie Leeson said: ‘Today (Friday) we have conducted a firearms warrant at a location off of Newgate Lane in Fareham.
‘Both armed and unarmed officers attended, and searches have been conducted throughout the course of the day. Officers currently remain on scene and may remain there over night.
‘We want to reassure the community that we take any
concer ns around the use of prohibited firearms very seriously, and we will endeavour to update you with more information when we are in a position to do so.’
A resident of the compound, who asked not to be named, said police had ‘come barging in’.
He said: ‘We were trying to sleep and they broke down the door.’
The compound, featuring at least three wooden buildings and a number of static mobile homes, is understood to have been bought and occupied two years ago.
Groups of new occu
pants arrived in the last six months, The News understands.
A woman from Portchester who keeps three horses in a nearby field said she has previously heard sounds of shotgun blasts.
The 64-year-old said: ‘I try to stay out of their way.’
A couple who live along Newgate Lane, who asked not to be named, said police arrived in silence.
One of the residents, a 58-year-old-man who has lived in the road for seven years, said: ‘We went upstairs to watch. They arrived without any sirens. But it must be serious if they have sent this many police.’
We take concerns around the use of prohibited firearms very seriously. Detective Inspector Abbie Leeson