Six arrested and firearms recovered in Rochdale

Six men have been arrested and two firearms were recovered after officers stopped three cars in Rochdale.

A grey Ford Focus and two black Ford Fiestas were stopped  by armed officers just after 9.30pm on Monday (8 November 2010) on Roch Mills Crescent.

A loaded sawn off shotgun and a pistol were recovered following searches of the vehicles.

Six men aged between 21 and 41 were arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms.

Three were taken to hospital for treatment to various injuries sustained during the arrest and one man aged 27, remains in hospital for observation.

Officers from the North West Regional Crime Unit TITAN, GMP Tactical Firearms Unit, and divisional officers from Rochdale, Tameside and Bury were involved in the action.

Detective Inspector Michael Fraser of North West Regional Crime Unit TITAN said: "This activity shows just how seriously we take community led intelligence and will do all we can to eradicate serious organised crime within the North West.

"We have also taken two firearms off the streets of Greater Manchester, which alone is a fantastic result.

"As a region we are committed to safeguarding people from violent criminals who do not think twice about using violence to get what they want."