Armed police targeting criminal gangs

ARMED police officers who shot dead a man at Culcheth, Warrington, are believed to have been involved in a major operation to combat armed criminal gangs in the North West.
The man, Anthony Grainger, aged 35, from Bolton, died after an incident near Jackson Avenue, Culcheth on Saturday evening.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police were involved in the operation which was said to have been “a planned operation.”
Three men, all from the Greater Manchester area, have subsequently been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery. Two are understood to have been arrested in Culcheth and the third, later, in Manchester. They will appear in court in Manchester later today.
Villagers scattered in panic as the drama unfolded around 7.20pm. A number reported hearing shots fired. Police said officers carried out first aid on the wounded man but he died at the scene.. His next of kin were later informed – and two other men were arrested.
Witnesses in the centre of Culcheth spoke of seeing numerous police cars and three men, wearing what appeared to be gasmasks, carrying guns.
A car understood to have been involved in the drama was removed from the scene, on a public car park, which was cordoned off..
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Officers from our Specialist Operations branch were involved in an pre-planned operation that resulted in a car being stopped in the Culcheth area.
“As part of the operation, shots were fired and one man inside the vehicle was injured.
“The officers involved performed first aid on the victim at the scene but he sadly died. Two other men who were inside the car were arrested.
“I understand there will be a lot of anxious people both in the Cheshire community where this happened, and across Greater Manchester itself. I also understand there will inevitably be speculation about what happened and the events leading up to this man’s death.
“Because there is an IPCC independent investigation, I cannot go into the specific details of the operation but equally I do want to provide some reassurance to people.
“Firstly, our thoughts are with the man’s family during what will clearly be a very difficult and emotional time, and specially trained family liaison officers have been in contact with the family. I want to assure them that ourselves, Cheshire Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission will carry out a thorough investigation which will establish all the facts.
“I also want to stress that the Force is providing significant welfare and support to officers from the firearms team and we are working with the Police Federation and the Superintendents Association as part of that support process.
“We are also working very closely with both Cheshire Police and the wider communities who will be affected by this incident to give those people the support they need over the coming days and weeks.
“Again, there are some details we will not be able to go into because of the independent inquiry, but we will continue to keep our communities updated with what information we can share.”
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said patrols had been increased in the area. The community of Culcheth should be reassured that it was an isolated incident and there was no risk to the community as a whole.
An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) spokesperson said: “The IPCC has been informed by Cheshire Constabulary of an incident near Jackson Avenue, Culcheth, where a man was fatally shot by armed officers from Greater Manchester Police.
“The incident has been referred to the IPCC who will independently investigate.”
It is understood police used CS gas during the incident. A number of local residents reported smelling gas.
Police have revealed that the dead man suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest.
An inquest is expected to be opened at Warrington later today, but is likely to be adjourned after evidence of identification.