A dangerous gang embedded in an estate blighted by drug dealing and violence have been the target of multiple shootings, police believe.
Merseyside Police have launched a concerted crackdown on the drug-dealing organisation, based in the Woodchurch estate in Birkenhead. The so-called 'Woodchurch Organised Crime Group (OCG)' is regularly classed by police gang experts among the "top three" threats to public safety and security in Merseyside, discussed at high-level weekly meetings.
As well as blighting their own neighbourhood with drug-dealing, violence and anti-social behaviour, the gang are known to supply drugs outside the area on a 'county lines' model, particularly in North Wales.
READ MORE: Detectives frustrated as man shot in street refuses to help police
Of greatest concern to police is the relatively recent spike in shootings on the Woodchurch estate, including a drive-by shooting that left a man with "life-changing" injuries near a busy row of shops on Hoole Road, on March 22.
More recently, on the evening of December 3, a young man was shot in the legs in a targeted attack on Orrets Meadow Road, off Hoole Road. Shots were also fired at men by the Arrowe Park pub in June, although no-one was hit.
Recently, detectives have expressed frustration at the victims of shootings in the area for failing to co-operate with police investigations.
Each of those attacks are understood to relate to the activities of the Woodchurch OCG, and in particular its long-standing rivalry with Wirral's other main organised crime group - 'The Ford', based in the Beechwood estate.
Wirral community policing Inspector Alan McKeon, himself a native of the Woodchurch estate, says tackling the fear and danger created by Woodchurch OCG members is a major priority.
He told the ECHO: " The Woodchurch has some historical crime issues, but what I would say, in probably the last three or four years, gang related violence has become a lot more prominent there. i.e, the use of firearms as part of factional disputes.
"Now, for me, when I came into this role probably 16 months ago, it became a priority because if you have these factional disputes ongoing and people using firearms in anger towards each other; you know what we've seen in the last 12 months; Olivia Pratt-Korbel is the obvious example. And even Rhys Jones prior to that and plenty of others in between. H ere are just absolutely innocent people who get caught in the crossfire of these people."
Inp. McKeon spoke during a disruption day organised as part of Operation Presley, a major and ongoing attempt to change "gang culture" in Woodchurch and other areas of Wirral. The operation yesterday involved specialist units flooding the estate, including Matrix gun and gang specialists, and a stop-check area for vehicles.
Launched 12 months ago, the operation has involved high visibility patrols, as well as the criminal behaviour orders, gang injunctions restricting the activities of "prominent gang members", land searches and stop and search powers.
Insp. McKeon said: "B ecause there has been the firearms discharges on the estate now, that's set understandable fear amongst the community. It is that thing really, whereby the community know who are dealing the drugs, and they're aware that these attacks are targeted, and they're aware of the people involved in it.
"But nonetheless, that doesn't do anything to address the fear, for those reasons like we've said; you've got innocent people there. The firearms discharge back in March on Hoole Road, that was early evening, it was daylight, there was people in the street, there was a child over the road. You can see on the CCTV footage when that happened.
"That's understandably going to cause fear among the community when you have got the illicit use of firearms in that fashion, and always the potential for somebody to be caught in that crossfire. So irrespective of who the victim is, and even if it's someone that they may perceive 'had it coming' if you like, or who was involved in that criminality, it doesn't do anything to allay the fear of the community."
Since the launch of Operation Presley 12 months ago, 136 stop searches have been carried out in and around Woodchurch, 64 arrests have been made, and 12 knives and one firearm have been seized. The force said "substantial" quantities of class A and B drugs have been seized as well as more than £10,000 in dirty cash.
Officers involved in the disruption day yesterday interrupted a suspected drug deal on Newhey Road and arrested a 38-year-old man from Birkenhead on suspicion of supplying cocaine and cannabis and possession of criminal property (cash).
The force said a search of his home recovered bars of cannabis resin, a large quantity of cannabis bush, £1,000 cash and 66 cannabis vape pens.
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