Merseyside Police carried out 23 search warrants across the region this morning as part of the force's fourth Operation Vanguard, involving 220 police officers and staff in raids across Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley and St Helens.
Residents of a quiet Tuebrook cul-de-sac were woken early this morning as multiple Matrix vans swept into the street. Officers made their way towards a terraced house and knocked the door in with two blows from a battering ram. The front door gave way, and the home was quickly infiltrated by police as neighbours emerged from their homes, awoken by the commotion. A woman's voice could be heard shouting "OK! Alright, I'm here!" as a child cried out in distress. Inside, officers began searching the property, lifting sofa cushions, opening cupboards and examining rooms while questioning those inside.
Operation Vanguard Details
Vanguard has been introduced since Chief Constable Rob Carden took charge of the force last year, with the operation looking to "relentlessly target criminals who bring fear to our communities". People in Merseyside will have seen officers from the area proactive team, Matrix team, regional organised crime unit and county lines specialists as part of the operation today.
It comes after three previous Operation Vanguard days, two of which focused on specific areas of Merseyside. Today has seen the second successive deployment across all areas of the region.
Chief Constable's Comments
Speaking to the ECHO this morning, CC Carden said: "We're looking for drugs, weapons, stolen property, people who have been wanted for a while. It's a busy day, but really important. We've had some good feedback on the previous operations, so it's a really important thing to carry on doing."
"Loads of work goes into it. The force intelligence units spend a great deal of time planning the operation. We try to vary things up. But I think it's really important to say they're doing this all the time. There was a seizure of 200kg of class A drugs two weeks ago. It wasn't a Vanguard - this is just one style of proactive operation. Merseyside Police is one of the most proactive forces in the country, if not the most."
"Every job requires a lot of coordination, the logistics, the officers, but it's the investigation that goes on for many months. It bubbles up to a forced entry and the investigation today. On one of the previous operations, we had vans turning away, couldn't get the person we were looking for. We had people ringing up saying the person you're after has just returned, go back. We did and made the arrest. That's the thing about public confidence - if you give us the information, we'll listen and do the business."
"Hopefully the communities are reassured. We are listening and we are here. There's police work going on all the time and it doesn't always get the profile it deserves. This operation is an overt, louder demonstration of saying we're here and we're not going anywhere. The biggest message I want to give to the public is, give us the information and we'll do something with it."
Operations Across the Region
Across the region as part of the operation, there have been: land searches, roadside operations, safeguarding of vulnerable people being exploited and used by heartless and callous criminals, patrols by officers from the mounted and dogs teams, Op Gears patrols targeting the illegal use of electric bikes, e-scooters, and off-road motorcycles, and targeting of suspects wanted for numerous offences including those involved in domestic abuse, serious violence, fraud, neighbourhood crime and drug-related offending amongst other criminality.
A spokesperson for the force added: "If you have any information which could help us to prevent criminality in your area, let us know so that we can take action and ensure our communities can enjoy their local areas safely. You can do this by calling 101, or contacting us on social media @MerPolCC. You can also report information via the force's website. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website. In an emergency always call 999."
