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Stockport cops swoop
Barbara Simpson14/ 9/2007
DRAMATIC dawn raids resulted in the arrest of five men thought to be linked to a spate of terrifying armed robberies at pubs, shops and homes across Stockport.
Police swooped on addresses in Longsight, Levenshulme, Gorton and Tameside shortly before 7am on Wednesday as part of a massive 12-month investigation into a violent gang linked to at least 45 violent robberies.
Detective inspector Tony Creely — who led ‘Operation Sunrise’ — said: “This morning’s activity is the result of months of extensive police work into these often terrifying robberies.
“It is the first phase of other strikes to be conducted by officers from Stockport over the coming weeks.”
He said five men — aged between 16 and 18 — are thought to have carried out raids across the borough in the last year, which often included terrorising employees with machetes, axes, hammers, CS gas or knives.
The gang’s raids also included the use of a high voltage taser gun, resulting in an attack on the manager of The Orangery in Heaton Moor, and a similar incident at the Mickerbrook pub in Cheadle in July.
Police believe the gang are also responsible for a spate of car thefts — including one on Cleveland Road, Heaton Moor — where owners were threatened with violence unless they handed over the keys to their high performance vehicles.
“The sheer scale of violence and threats used by the criminals have left some of their victims scarred for life,” DI Creely said.
“Crimes like this are often linked to more organised criminal activity, and the cars and money stolen can be further used to bring misery to ordinary people’s lives. We are absolutely determined to do everything we can to stop this kind of activity, and continue to ask for the public’s support in our efforts to do so.”
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