Merseyside Police’s new initiative is working with communities to prevent anti-social behaviour in key areas

Merseyside Police is targeting ‘hotspots’ to bring down incidents of violence and anti-social behaviour in areas where they’re most likely to happen.

An increase in visible foot patrols, and a focus on working with communities to pinpoint issues and find tailored solutions is helping to tackle crime in 29 hotspots across the region.

That includes partnering with community groups and local businesses to create free sessions that engage young people and give them something to do which they actually enjoy, whether that’s fitness, beauty, or something creative like graffiti art or DJing.

Already Merseyside Police says it’s seeing a real impact in crime reduction.

“We want to work with people in their communities to try and solve the issues they’re facing,” explains Supt Phil Mullally.

“This year alone we’ve seen a 20% reduction in serious violence and a 10% reduction in anti-social behaviour across those 29 hotspots.

“And in some of the key areas where we know we’ve had significant problems around knife crime we’ve seen upwards of 50 to 60% reductions in those locations.”

Having more than 8,000 additional foot patrols carried out by uniformed officers and PCSOs in target areas – providing a visible, approachable presence on the streets – has been one of the initiatives that’s received the most positive reaction from communities.

“Our figures do prove that increasing visibility and having officers walking around in pairs in areas of Liverpool known for anti-social behaviour does have an effect,” says Supt Mullally.

“It means we can engage for that bit longer, have those conversations with the public and sometimes just find out what is affecting them in their day to day lives. That’s something we can feed back which allows us, going forward, to adapt our approach, provide a better response and serve the community. 

“What we’ve seen in Liverpool city centre, particularly around the nighttime economy, is fantastic work with our partners which has led to some really significant reductions in crime. 

“The impact of being visible, and speaking to the community, is massive in terms of confidence and reassurance and we’ve had lots of feedback from the community who say, ‘we love seeing you on the street, we want it to carry on’. 

Merseyside Police works closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell to deliver Hotspot Policing and targeted problem solving across the region. 

Together with the Commissioner, the Force is also investing in prevention by partnering with trusted community organisations to engage young people, support families, and create safer public spaces. 

“We will often hear from young people that there’s nothing to do where they live,” explains Supt Mullally.

“What we do through the Hotspot programme is bespoke work with partners in communities who know the young people.

“This isn’t the police saying ‘come in, do this’, it’s the community and partners who know the young people saying ‘work with us, we’ll do things that we know you want to do and that you like’.”

Supt Mullally stresses although the drop in violent crime and anti-social behaviour in targeted areas is encouraging, it’s very much an ongoing long-term initiative.

“We’re never going to be saying we’ve solved the problem because we know this is a continuous challenge, but it’s about being up for that challenge and continuing the relentless approach that we are committed to in Merseyside Police – working with communities and partners, putting our officers in the right places at the right times, to continue those fantastic results around crime reduction.”

Find out more about this Merseyside Police initiative here.

Find out the latest in Liverpool here.

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide. 

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.