Hundreds of officers take to city streets as part of force crackdown on crime

Hundreds of police officers have taken to the streets of Liverpool as part of a crackdown on crime.

Early on Wednesday morning, a convoy of police vehicles could be seen leaving Merseyside Police headquarters for the operation targeting criminals in the Anfield area.

The day of action is the second which has taken place since Chief Constable Rob Carden took up his post, in September last year, with a promise to take those involved in criminality “off the streets”.

He said: “The scale and impact of today’s operation should leave criminals in absolutely no doubt – we are here, we are watching and, if you are involved in criminality, you can expect a knock on your door.”

Fourteen search warrants were carried out on Wednesday morning and throughout the day residents can expect to see teams of officers carry out land and underwater searches, roadside operations and the targeting of suspects wanted for offences including domestic abuse, fraud and drug-related offending, a spokesman for Merseyside Police said.

About 300 officers and staff will be involved in the large-scale operation, which the force says will effectively lock down the area to allow them to target criminals.

Mr Carden added: “Today’s activity shows our complete and utter contempt for those involved in criminality, whilst at the same time giving the community the compassion, understanding and support they deserve.

“Our message to criminals is clear – we don’t want them in our communities and we will be relentless in our pursuit of them.

“The protection of the public is a vital part of today and we will be supporting and safeguarding vulnerable victims, alongside our partners including Liverpool City Council and local charities and support services.”

The leader of Liverpool City Council, Liam Robinson, said: “The action being taken by Merseyside Police today is vital to protecting our neighbourhoods and preventing harm.

“I want to thank Merseyside Police and all our partners for their hard work and dedication in delivering this operation.

“To those involved in criminality, today’s activity demonstrates that there is no hiding place. The safety and wellbeing of our communities will always come first.”

In December, a similar operation was carried out in Stockbridge Village and Huyton and led to 49 arrests.