Five arrested after dawn raids over gun crime

Five people are under arrest after police in Manchester carried out dawn raids in a crackdown on gun crime.

A quantity of ammunition was found during the operation targeting 21 houses in the Moss Side and Trafford districts of the city.

Hundreds of officers from Greater Manchester Police carried out the operation to tackle guns and gang violence.

Police are also searching land around more than 150 other addresses.

Superintendent John O'Hare said: "This has been a large scale operation but I do want to stress that many of the people living in the places we are currently searching may have absolutely no idea that firearms are potentially being stored in their homes or gardens.

"We have gone to great lengths in our planning of today's operation to risk assess all of the addresses we are searching and most have not been "raided" as such.

"Officers have simply knocked on their doors, explained why they are there and, with the owner's co-operation, searched houses, sheds and back gardens."

The searches come amid growing concern over gun crime, following the shooting to death of three youngsters in the space of just days in London.

Manchester has also suffered endemic gun and gang crime, including the murder last year of 15-year-old schoolboy Jessie James - the latest in a long line of gun victims.

Tony Blair visited the city last week to talk to community leaders about how best to tackle gangs and guns.

Members of the local community in Manchester have been consulted and briefed throughout the planning and enforcement of this operation and Police Community Support Officers have been delivering leaflets in areas which have been affected, explaining what is happening.