Police corruption claims at murder inquest
A senior officer identified only as 'Officer D' said the level of organised crime in the county during 2003-4 was so great almost 200 officers were brought in from other forces to help out.
"We were running 27 separate incident rooms," he said. "They not only were utilising hundreds of personnel from Nottinghamshire but 198 officers from other forces were actually deployed as mutual aid."
The inquest is hearing the background to the deaths of Joan and John Stirland who were traced by a criminal gang to a remote house on the Lincolnshire coast and gunned down.
The fatal shootings were believed to in revenge for a murder committed by the couple's son Michael O'Brien.
The Stirlands had fled from their home in Nottingham after being targeted by gunmen, and reported a prowler hours before their deaths.
In 2006 gangster Colin Gunn, 40, of Bestwood, Nottingham was jailed for 35 years over the killings.
During his trial a court heard the crime boss ordered their murders as retaliation after O'Brien, murdered a friend of Gunn's nephew, Jamie Gunn.
O'Brien was jailed for life for the murder while Jamie Gunn fell into a spiralling cycle of depression, his health declined and he was found dead from pneumonia on August 2.
An inquest in Lincoln was told that members of the "criminal fraternity" thought Jamie Gunn was believed to have been the target of the initial shooting.
Mr Stirland, 55, and his 51-year-old wife were moved to the house in Trusthorpe eight months before they were killed in August 2004.
The inquest jury has been told they must consider if Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire police had failed to properly protect the Stirlands and whether police corruption contributed to the couple's death.
Yesterday Officer D said a decision was made to set up "Operation Starburst" , the existence of which was only known to a very few senior officers.
"Starburst was to oversee and orchestrate an intelligence-led capability into tackling organised crime, " he said,
"We were equally aware of corruption areas in the Nottinghamshire force. It meant Starburst would not exist in the eyes of the force.
"It was a totally covert operation. Starburst could not be openly acknowledged without alerting the subject of our investigation."
The inquest, which continues today, is being held at a secure courtroom at Lincoln Crown Court, with members of the public and media only allowed to view the proceedings on a video link in a building two miles away.
Scenes of crime officers searching near the Stirland's bungalow in Trusthorpe.
