Merseyside Police seek to learn how Skorpion machine guns entered UK

Police believe the availability of Skorpions, which are capable of firing 800 rounds a minute, was linked to a rise in fatal shootings in Merseyside

Work to understand how Skorpion machine guns are coming into the country is ongoing, a police chief has said.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy believes fatal shootings in her area in 2022 followed the arrival of a consignment.

The force was ranked outstanding in tackling serious and organised crime by the inspectorate of constabularies.

Five people were killed in shootings last year on Merseyside, three of whom were shot with Skorpion weapons.

Ms Kennedy said Merseyside Police had "renewed" its commitment to crack down on organised crime groups after three fatal shootings took place in the space of a week in August 2022.

She said she believed the availability of Skorpions, which are capable of firing 800 rounds a minute, was linked to a rise in fatalities - with the Czech-designed weapons used in three of the five firearms deaths on Merseyside.

Elle Edwards was murdered in a shooting that used a Skorpion pistol on 24 December 2022

Ms Kennedy said: "We've seen the devastating consequences when these weapons get into the hands of people who don't know how to use them and are intent on using them to settle their petty disputes.

"What we have done since last August is work really closely with the National Crime Agency and with the ROCU (Regional Organised Crime Unit) to understand how those weapons enter the country and to also identify where they are."

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services said its response to serious and organised crime ranked highly.

Ms Kennedy, the lead chief constable for ROCU in the North West , which was ranked outstanding as a whole, said: "We work really collaboratively across the forces in the north west and already on the back of those inspection reports we are looking at where some forces are struggling a little bit and how can we support them, how can we share that best practice, how can we send people across to those forces and provide that additional support and expertise.

"We know Merseyside criminals don't stop at the force boundary, they travel across the north west and the country, which is why Merseyside Police take that collaborative approach within the north west and indeed across the whole country."

She said officers from the force's county lines team worked in other areas of the country to support them because of the "level of sophistication and also not knowing who those criminals are".