Suspects linked to organised crime were woken up by armed police and strike teams destroying their front doors this morning as police put together a response to a week of horrific violence.
One of the raids saw a 20-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Sam Rimmer, the 22-year-old man shot dead in Lavrock Bank, Dingle, on Tuesday August 16. Two further arrests, of a 17-year-old youth and a 21-year-old man, on suspicions of Mr Rimmer's murder followed later today.
Merseyside Police was keen to send the message it was determined to smash organised crime networks in the city following the murder of Mr Rimmer, followed in days by the savage gun killings of 28-year-old Ashley Dale at her home in Old Swan and nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Dovecot.
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Today 35-year-old convicted burglar Joseph Nee was named as the intended target of the gunman who ended up fatally wounding little Olivia after chasing Nee into her home and "firing indiscriminately". Nee has been re-arrested for breaching his licence conditions due to "poor behaviour" and will be recalled to prison after he is discharged from hospital.
The ECHO and TV and radio crews were invited to attend one of the raids where a unit from Merseyside Police's targeted team sawed through a front-door. The door was opened and one officer shouted "male on the stairs to the left".
Officers at the scene confirmed a samurai sword was recovered from a bedroom, and a blue scrambler style motorbike was removed from the back-yard and loaded onto a recovery van. The raids formed part of Operation Miller, the force's ongoing response to serious and organised crime.
Elsewhere in the city drugs including cannabis farms were also discovered in raids, although details have yet to be confirmed. One officer at the scene told the ECHO they force wanted to send the message that "we have not lost control of the streets".
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, told the ECHO: "This morning we have seen a series of warrants taking place right across Merseyside in response to serious and organised crime and also, obviously, the dreadful circumstances we have seen in the past week and the three murders.
"This is, in effect, Merseyside Police baring its teeth. So our serious and organised crime element or fraternity have decided to bare their teeth last week, but we are showing ours now.
"So it's about reassuring our communities that we are on the front foot around keeping them safe, we are proactive, we're hard-edged, and we will take the fight to the criminal. And it's also to reinforce that message that this behaviour is not acceptable in any way, shape or form, and we will do anything we can to suppress it, to disrupt it, and lock up those people who are responsible."
DCS Kameen said the murders over the past week have not "jerked the force" into activity, but instead the raids were an escalation of work already going on in the city to tackle organised crime.
Neighbouring forces have lent manpower and resources to help the force maintain four, entirely separate, murder investigations and to maintain business as usual.
It is believed Merseyside Police have been given the name of the suspected killer of Olivia by several sources, although no-one has yet been arrested on suspicion of her murder.
Anyone with information, footage or images related to the murder of Olivia is asked to contact police via the following link Public Portal ( mipp.police.uk ), @MerPolCC or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with reference 22000621566.
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