Weapons being used in the war in Ukraine are likely to fuel gun crime on the streets of Merseyside in the coming years.
Paul James, founder of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service, said millions of weapons currently in use in Ukraine could circulate when the conflict ends. Mr James said the Balkans conflict had been the main source of guns being trafficked into Europe since the 1990s, but warned the Ukrainian situation is going to be "much worse".
Mr James told BBC North West Tonight: "From experience, over the last 15 to 20 years, the guns from the Western Balkans have been the main source of firearms trafficked into Europe. They have been used in a lot of very high-profile crime and terrorist incidents, and we're still trying to reduce the flow of firearms from there.