Three people have been arrested following reports of a person with a suspected handgun in Meols.
Police say they received a report that a male was in possession of a suspected burgundy-coloured handgun on Heron Road on Thursday evening.
Armed officers attended and an extensive search of the area was carried out, but nothing was found.
However, while carrying out the search, three males were stopped, as one matched the description.
They were arrested on suspicion of the following offences:
A 24-year-old man from Moreton was found possession with intent to supply cannabis and equipment used in theft. He is still in police custody.
A 16-year-old male from Newton was arrested on suspicion going equipped for theft. He has been released on conditional bail.
A 15-year-old male from Greasby was dealt with on suspicion of possession of a controlled class B drug, cannabis. He was voluntarily interviewed and will be referred to the Youth Offending Team.
Neighbourhood Inspector Mark Kennedy said: “Officers carried out a thorough search of the area and no one was found with a suspected firearm, but three arrests were made for other offences.
“The reports received suggest that it might have been a toy gun, however we are all sadly too aware know too well the devastation gun crime causes in our communities, and any type of firearm has no place on our streets.
“To the untrained eye, an imitation firearm and BB guns can cause fear and harm to people who wouldn’t know the difference between them or a more dangerous weapon if confronted with one.
“We rely on information given to us by the public and this makes a huge difference in identifying suspects, seizing weapons and removing suspects who would bring lethal weapons onto our streets.”
