FIVE youngsters sparked a major police operation after playing soldiers in a Merseyside park. A concerned resident rang the police after spotting the boys, aged between 11 and 18, in full camouflage gear and with a gun. They were in Marine Park, near Crosby Marina, Waterloo, close to where murder victim Warren Selkirk's body was found in 1999. Police immediately sent in a fleet of patrol cars, armed response vehicles, a helicopter and the dog unit. One teenager said: "It was scary. The police were all pointing guns at us. "Then one of them said: 'Are you carrying a weapon?' I said 'yes, do you want me to show it to you?' and he shouted back: 'Show me it and I'll shoot you'." Christina Ball, the mother of three of the boys involved, said: "We all fully understand the police have to respond to calls about guns but I feel they should have put their guns down the minute they realised they were dealing with children. "One of the young lads was absolutely terrified and had been told if he moved he would be shot. "If any kind of panic had taken hold of him he could have turned and run - we dread to think what could have happened then." But Steve Gittens, Superintendent for Operations, said: "It is crucial to take the perceived threat seriously. "A ball bearing weapon was recovered and a number of youths spoken to." He said the incident raised serious issues about parental control of children with guns. He said: "We would urge parents not to buy children these type of guns or air rifles as tragic events elsewhere have shown they can be extremely dangerous, even fatal." The ball bearing gun is a toy replica that fires small plastic projectiles. The incident happened at about 10pm last Saturday. | 
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