MERSEYSIDE Police is backing national plans to tighten gun crime regulation.

The county-wide force has almost doubled the number of firearm seizures in the last year from 341 in 2001 to 613 in 2002.

And while there are no statistics available specifically for the borough, Home Office reports show a 7.6 per cent increase in firearms incidents on Merseyside compared to a 35 per cent national increase.

Last October, the Globe highlighted a Wirral operation by police that resulted in the seizure of guns, and crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of tens of thousands of pounds.

More than 200 officers in specialist teams and police dogs raided addresses across Wirral in three strikes targeting street-dealing gangs. Among the weapons found were handguns, pepper spray and a rice flail.

Ian McPherson, Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside, said: "Certainly we on Merseyside have undertaken and are planning to undertake a number of initiatives to reinforce this message to criminals and would continue to appeal to members of the public to come forward with information which will help keep these criminals off our streets."