Another man has been shot close to an estate where police have been trying to tackle a notorious organised crime group.
The Woodchurch estate in Birkenhead has seen an unprecedented spike in gun violence over the past couple of years, including a drive by shooting in full view of children that left a man fighting for his life.
That shocking attack took place near a busy row of shops on Hoole Road in March, while on December 3 a man was shot in the legs close by on Orrets Meadow Road.
READ MORE: Fears over warring drug gangs causing misery on estate
Over the weekend another man was attacked on Newark Close, on the other side of the M53 between Noctorum and the Woodchurch estate. Merseyside Police sent armed patrols to the scene at 9.15pm on Saturday (December 17) after reports of shots being fired, and a short time later a man turned up at A&E with gunshot injuries to his arm.
This morning forensic investigators in protective gear could be seen taking photographs of a damaged black Audi car on Newark Close, which appeared to have collided with a blue Fiat Punto and a wall.
Detectives say the latest attack is being treated as "targeted" and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
The ECHO reported last week how the local community policing inspector, Alan McKeon, said the force is treating the previous two shootings as linked to the Woodchurch OCG's long-standing rivalry with Wirral's other predominant crime group, the Ford OCG based in the Beechwood estate.
He told the ECHO: "Every week we look at where threats exist on a force level, and consistently [the Woodchurch OCG] come if not top, then they're pretty much the top three. Potentially they could work with groups from outside of the area, such as Liverpool, or even the wider area again across the North West.
"The controlling influence, you know, that could be anyone. There's a lot of activity these guys will do off their own back, but there could be an influence from outside as well."
Insp. McKeon, himself a native of the Woodchurch, said the level of gun violence in the area was not in keeping with the type of offending he has seen in 17 years on the force and from his own experiences growing up there.
He said: " It's an escalation that we we're behind the times with on the Wirral really. I have worked on the Wirral predominately throughout my career and it was something that was quite surprising.
"Firearms discharges on the Wirral didn't occur with the frequency that they did over in Liverpool. And it maybe a case that those firearms discharges have come because that may be a change in culture amongst the gangs.
"It maybe an influence from outside areas. Maybe there are influences from Liverpool related organised criminality. Profitability wise, again, it could be any number of things as to why escalations are happening with firearms."
After the shooting in Orrets Meadow Road earlier this month Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, shared his frustration at the refusal of key witnesses, including victims, to co-operate with his officers.
He said: "Unfortunately our investigations are often frustrated and obstructed when people, including those who are victims, refuse to tell us what they know. In the [Orrets Meadow Road incident] the victim is not co-operating with our enquiries, but this won’t stop us doing everything we can to find the person or persons responsible."
Anyone with information on the latest incident can contact Merseyside Police on 101, on Twitter @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, with reference 844 of 18 December.
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