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Seven shootings in ten days have scarred Merseyside’s criminal landscape and sparked further concern over the levels of gun crime in the region.

The spate of firearms discharges suggest the huge rise in shootings seen over 2016/17 is continuing into a second year as gun thugs target homes and rivals in a ruthless show of strength.

The surge in violence - which has included the murder of Yusuf Sonko - has seen Merseyside Police hit back with arrests, raids and the use of special powers in a bid to halt the carnage.

Police forces measure gun stats over the course of financial years and from April 2016 to April 2017 there were 89 shootings on Merseyside.

That was a rise of almost 50% on the year before and the first time in years shootings had not fallen in the region - though still well below the 133 recorded in 2012/13.

The 89 of 2016/17 included four gun murders - those of Mark Hillman , Blake Brown, Thomas Baker and Aaron Lewis - and more than 30 other attacks that led to the victims needing hospital treatment.

Just over two months into the 2017/18 period the number of shootings has continued at a similar rate, with the trouble that has broken out in the first fortnight of June causing a major headache for detectives.

This month alone has already seen:

- A man shot in the arms and legs when a gang burst into a property on Chatham Close, Seaforth

- A man shot in the chest when a gang targeted his home on Bradville Road, Fazakereley

- The fatal shooting of 18-year-old Yusuf Sonko near Tagus Street, Toxteth

- A man shot in his left leg on Sanderling Road, Kirkby

- A man shot in the thigh on Eastern Avenue, Speke

- A shotgun blasted near Armill Road/Sovereign Road in Croxteth

- A property was also shot at on Church Walk, Bootle, on the night of May 31.

Those seven shootings in just ten days have seen police lockdown streets and scramble armed patrols to combat the escalation in trouble. It has also seen detectives carry out a series of operations as they fight back against the trouble - the most high profile seeing balaclava-clad armed police arrest four men after stopping a van on Bridle Road, Netherton, in a pre-planned operation on Sunday night.

That night a woman was also arrested when police raided a Fazakerley property and three homes were hit by police in Toxteth. Searches of open land - where guns are typically stashed by street gangs - have taken place in Bootle and Fazakerley while Section 60 notices have been enforced in Bootle and Toxteth.

Those Section 60 notices allowed officers special search powers if they believed people in the area were carrying weapons. On Saturday morning three teens - including two 13-year-old boys - were arrested on suspicion of gun possession in Kirkby and two others were arrested as part of disruption activity targeting serious organised crime.

Two trends have emerged in recent shootings which may worry police though.

The first is that the attacks have not been contained to specific areas. The spread of shootings in Bootle, Seaforth, Fazakerley, Toxteth, Kirkby, Speke and Croxteth suggest a number of different disputes across the region have intensified to the point where guns have been fired.

It also highlights the availability of guns across the region - something detectives have raised as an issue over the past 18 months, with calls made to partner agencies and national bodies to do what they can to stop the flow of firearms into the country.

Guns smuggled from Eastern Europe are among those causing concern, with Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson highlighting the emergence of acoustic expansion Glock pistols on the streets of Liverpool as an increasing issue since September. One of those weapons, typically modified to appear as decommissioned in Slovakia, was found by police probing the Aaron Lewis murder.

Years of severe budget cuts may have made it harder for Merseyside Police to manage a number of different disputes across the force’s patch, while a strategic move from traditional models of neighbourhood policing, inspired by the cuts, will also be tested by recent events.

The second worrying trend to have emerged in recent months is the number of daylight attacks.

Two men were injured in a shooting in Kirkby that took place at 1.15pm last month. Two others were injured in a 4.20pm shooting in Netherton five days later.

Last month, injury shootings in Wavertree and Norris Green also took place in the afternoon while the shooting of Yusuf Sonko was only at 8.30pm and in the busy Lodge Lane area of Toxteth.

The brazen nature of those attacks showcases the arrogance - and recklessness - of those willing to wield firearms across the area.

Despite the reductions to its resources, Merseyside Police is still recognised as one of the best forces in the country at dealing with serious and organised crime.

Significant successes in the past two years have taken gun gangs off the streets after high profile investigations from Netherton to south Liverpool.

And that period has seen the murderers responsible for the gun deaths of Mark Hillman, Vinny Waddington and Lewis Dunne locked up as a result of extensive probes - highlighting the force’s ability to solve horrific crimes.

Following the arrests on Friday and Saturday, Detective Chief Inspector Andy O’Connor re-iterated the force’s commitment to tackling gun crime and called for communities blighted by gun thugs to support the police.

He said: “The force has put extensive resources in place following a number of firearms discharges in Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley this week. Officers from Matrix disruption, Roads Policing, Dogs and Mounted, are working with officers from the local policing areas and detectives to bring pressure on serious organised crime groups who we believe may have access to firearms.

“We are determined to build up the evidence in relation to recent firearms discharges so we can find and arrest those responsible and take out weapons that are being used in our communities.

“We are committed to tackling gun crime on Merseyside and last night officers from Roads Policing were carrying out road checks in the affected areas to disrupt criminal groups using cars and other vehicles on our roads and our specialist Matrix search team also carried out a search of open land near to ASDA in Bootle, whilst officers involved in high visibility patrols were carrying out targeted stop searches on individuals believed to be involved in serious organised crime.

“Our communities can expect to see more of this activity in the coming days and weeks and our message to those who are creating fear in our communities through the use of firearms, is that we are doing everything in our power to find out who is involved in the latest incidents and we won’t rest until we find those involved.”

*If you have any information about those involved in gun crime on Merseyside, or think you know where these groups are storing guns, please contact the Merseyside Police gun crime hotline on 0800 230 0600, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.