A MASSIVE shake-up in the way police investigate gun gangs is being launched today.

Children - some as young as twelve - are increasingly being enticed by gang culture.

Today police bosses announced they were more than tripling the resources dedicated to solving the problem to £6m.

Gang related gun crime is currently tackled by the Xcalibre Task Force, a team of officers set up to focus on the issue in 2004.

As a result of the shake-up, the team will be boosted with the addition of sixty specialist detectives seconded from the murder squad and increased support from other specialist departments including the Tactical Aid Unit, the Cold Case Review Unit and the Armed Crime Unit. All 12 police divisions will also have a dedicated team of officers geared up to deal with gang related incidents.

The shake up was prompted by a rise in gang related incidents last year and designed to capitalise on the more recent success of Operation Cougar which has helped drive down the number of shootings in recent months.

Operation Cougar

Launched earlier this year, Operation Cougar, included the use of child protection legislation by taking young people at risk of getting involved in gangs home to their parents or in extreme cases secure care units.

According to figures from the Xcalibre team, from 2004 until February this year there was at least one gang related shooting every month.

Since the launch of Operation Cougar there have been none in the last three-and-a-half months.

Det Insp Paul Miller of the Xcalibre Task Force said: "The success of this operation has been phenomenal. To have had no gang related shootings in the area over such a sustained period of time is unheard of.

"Each shooting is a potential death. We have seen enough young lives lost in this area and operations like this make the streets a safer place. It is essential we build on this success and continue to target those people intent on terrorising the communities with guns and other weapons. Every day we can prevent a young person being shot is a good day for the cops and the community."