HUGE efforts are being made to stop the children of today becoming the gang criminals of tomorrow in Liverpool, according to police.

The Merseyside force says that Rhys’ murder came at a time when it had already made significant inroads into the groups involved, with 43 people taking part in guns and gangs now in prison.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Moore, head of Merseyside police anti-gun Matrix team, said: “I think we are now working much smarter than we ever did.

“We are working to prevent the five-year-olds of today becoming gun men – and it is men, very rarely girls.

“Merseyside Police has never and will never stand by and watch as groups of children tear apart the community through crime.”

Over the last 12 months there has been a 26% fall in crime and following Rhys’ death, 54 more officers were deployed to the Croxteth area.

Det Ch Supt Moore added: “We will target these people in any way we can. If you drop litter, have a under inflated tyre, are driving without insurance – we will come down on you.

“We will take these criminals out however we can. However, if people want to change there lives and become better people we will help.

“We can help them find a way out of this problem.

“The number of people we have positively engaged with goes into double figures.

“I was surprised how quickly one of them turned around and I was surprised how little money it took to relocate him.

“It makes sense to spend little money for benefit of society.”