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A caravan park in Rochdale was raided by police this morning in a huge crackdown on a burglary and car theft ‘crime network’.

Three people were arrested as dozens of officers swooped on Roch Vale Caravan Park, off Liley Street, the official designated site for travellers in the borough.

Search warrants were issued on six caravans during the raid and several cars and storage units were also searched.

GMP said the operation, codenamed Marzipan, ‘followed months of collaborative hard work by our officers who are dedicated to dismantling crime networks which gain from inflicting misery on communities’.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, burglary and possession of controlled drugs.

They remain in custody.

A witness told the M.E.N.: “There’s a really big search going on.

“There are about 20 police vans and the Tactical Aid Unit here. The crime scene investigators were at the top of the site earlier as well.

“Police are spread out all over the site and they’ve have been looking in different static caravans.

“I’ve seen them look in a couple of bins and they’ve been looking underneath the caravans and in the street grids as well.”

(Image: Steve Allen)

Officers from Rochdale and GMP’s Specialist Operations branch carried out the search.

Pictures widely shared on social media showed several police vehicles gathering near Rochdale town hall this morning ahead of the raid.

Chief Supt Neil Evans, territorial commander for Rochdale, said: “Today’s operation follow months of collaborative hard work by our officers who are dedicated to dismantling crime networks which gain from inflicting misery on communities.

“We have made a number of arrests and I must stress that the investigation does not stop here and we will continue to follow all avenues of enquiries.

“I hope today shows that GMP is committed to investigating and tackling all types of crime and warrants are just one part of lots of work going on behind the scenes.

“Please continue to report any concerns you have and help us stop those who are benefitting from crime.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The M.E.N. has asked GMP for more details on those arrested and where the alleged crimes have taken place.

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