Merseyside Police announce major reduction in road casualties across Knowsley

Merseyside Police has announced a 50 percent decrease in the number of those killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads in Knowsley since 2024, and an approximately 36 percent decrease on the five-year average.

David Hassett, Temporary Local Policing Inspector and KSI Reduction Lead for Knowsley, attributes much of the positive long-term change to buy-in from the public and partners: 

“We know that having safer roads is something lots of Knowsley residents care deeply about, and as a local policing team we’ve had such fantastic engagement, especially on the Nextdoor app, from the local community. When we’ve asked residents for the areas which are causing them concern, they’ve engaged with us; we in turn have not only been able to action that but also feed it back to Knowsley Council.

“That’s another driving factor for these positive changes, too, working with the council. They’ve come out with us and done joint site visits to see where we could make infrastructure changes to make people safer. When we work with the public and our partners, we can always achieve more than we could on our own. 

“This is an issue that everybody cares about. Everyone wants to be safe walking to the shop, on the drive home from work, to be able to let kids play out without having to worry. It’s all part of our Safer Streets Summer campaign.”

While they are spending more time out in the sunshine, Merseyside Police are encouraging people to be mindful of the road safety infrastructure around them and to speak with children.

Stuart McIver, Roads Policing Chief Inspector, said:

“People often don’t realise what they’re looking at when they see any kind of crossing point. That infrastructure is an engineering solution to a road safety problem: it’s there because without it the road wasn’t safe. They’re a kind of warning sign. 

“I’d really urge people, when you see a crossing point, to be mindful of why it’s there. They cost money to implement and maintain – it provides a safe location, where you’re clearly visible and are able to cross the road safely. 

“The summer is a great opportunity for parents, especially ahead of the secondary school transition, to talk to kids about why those crossing points are there and the absolute necessity of using them.”

Commenting on the positive reduction figures in Knowsley, Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: 

“It is really pleasing to hear that in Knowsley we are making a significant impact in reducing the number of casualties on the borough’s roads. Knowsley Council work closely with our partners to ensure we are doing everything we can to reduce casualties. As part of the Vision Zero road safety strategy we will continue to take measures to protect our residents and eliminate casualties and serious injuries from our roads.” 

Paul Fletcher, Merseyside Road Safety Partnerships Operations Coordinator highlighted the benefits of this collaborative approach:

“This outcome is certainly a welcome one. It’s positive to see the steps that have been taken and the encouraging results this is having.

“There’s no one quick fix to reduce collisions. Working in partnership and providing a wide-ranging focus on collision reduction through: Engagement, Education, Engineering and Enforcement is how we begin to make our roads safer.

“The community is our best source of information, they know their roads, pavements and public spaces, better than anyone! Anyone who has a local traffic concern can inform us by visiting: Contact – Merseyside Road Safety Partnership

“We share these concerns with both council and police, who can then work together to take the necessary steps to make our roads safer.” 

Merseyside Police are encouraging people to search for their Local Poling Team on the Nextdoor app and join the conversation around local road safety. 

Find more information on the Merseyside Police website.

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