Dawn raids designed to inflict a “climate of fear” on one of Hackney’s “most dangerous gangs” have seen 11 suspected gang members arrested.

Search warrants were carried out by 150 officers at 11 addresses in the Holly Street area in the early hours this morning.

Drugs including cocaine and cannabis were seized.

The Territorial Support Group, Special Operations and Specialist Crime Directorate units supported the operation, along with a thermal imaging helicopter, ready to track down any suspects trying to flee.

Det Chief Supt Tony Nash, who is standing in for Borough Commander Matthew Horne, briefed officers before they headed out.

He said: “Today we are going to tackle one of our most longstanding and dangerous gangs which have featured in a number of key incidents in the borough.

“Their criminality attacks at community confidence, it creates an air of vulnerability.

“Today we are going to change that – today is about placing the vulnerability back on the gangs.

“These gangs target vulnerable adults and vulnerable children and make it very difficult for people in these communities to exclude themselves from their activities.

“With all the political ramblings that go on around gang crime and what it does, the main concern for me is the humanistic one.”

He went on to list innocent victims killed after being caught up in various gang turf wars, like Agnes Sina-Inakoju, who was just 16 when she was killed in a drive-by shooting as she was buying food in a Hoxton chicken takeaway shop in April 2010.

Joseph Burke Monerville, 19, was shot in a parked car in Lower Clapton in February of last year.

There is no suggestion that anyone arrested yesterday is linked to either killing.

“Today places the climate of fear back amongst the gang, today strengthens the community confidence and strikes back for people like Agnes and Joseph, their family and friends,” said Mr Nash.

Nine men and two women were arrested for offences including the supply, possession with intent to supply and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and they are all now in custody.

The move came under the guise of Operation Snowdon, a long-term operation partly funded by Hackney Council, set up to dismantle gang-related criminality in the borough.