TEN people from Whitefield have been arrested in a massive crackdown on crimes of carjacking, robbery and burglary.

A further four people from the Higher Broughton area were also arrested in dawn swoops on Wednesday when more than 70 police officers raided 13 addresses on the Hillock Estate and in Salford.

Codenamed Operation Heroes, the swoop was the culmination of three months of intelligence gathering and, more recently, surveillance by members of Whitefield township police.

Those arrested are aged between 14 and 40, including three women.

The team of suspects are believed to have been involved in numerous offences in Greater Manchester and Lancashire of robbery, including carjacking and burglaries of commercial premises where computers have been stolen.

During the raids, two firearms, computer equipment and a range of weapons, including monkey wrenches, spanners and a baseball bat, were recovered from the houses.

Sergeant John Shaw of Whitefield Township said: "This has been our biggest operation. A handful of officers have been working on inquiries, gathering evidence and taking witness statements since the start of the year.

"That effort by the township culminated in a joint operation between ourselves and colleagues from Greater Manchester and Lancashire police forces.

"Operation Heroes has been successful but we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

The majority of those arrested are in custody at Bury Police Station.

Detective Inspector Jane Antrobus, of Whitefield CID, who is heading the investigation, said: "I am pleased with how the operation has progressed so far.

"Members of the public should be reassured what we believe to be a team of prolific and dangerous individuals, who are suspected of various crimes, including armed robberies, carjackings and burglaries, have now been identified and arrested."

Yesterday police were still interviewing the 14 people arrested.