Community support funding announced in wake of Liverpool shootings
The Home Secretary has awarded a £150,000 package to support the communities of Liverpool and Knowsley in the wake of the spate of shootings in the city.
Priti Patel said the funding, announced today (August 26), will provide specialist trauma informed support in nearby schools, as well as mental health provisions for those closely affected.
Following the fatal shootings of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale and nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Merseyside within a week of each other, the Home Secretary also confirmed that £350,000 will be allocated to expand the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot to other areas in Merseyside affected by serious and organised crime.
The pilot sees both a proactive policing response and multi-agency working to support communities worst affected by organised crime groups to make them more resilient and less susceptible to their activities.
Ms Patel said: “The whole country has been appalled at the spate of violence in Liverpool over the past couple of weeks, which has tragically left three people dead, including nine-year-old Olivia.
“The impact on the wider community is immense, which is why we are providing funding for specialist trauma and mental health support for those who need it, as well as expanding the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot to disrupt Merseyside’s corrosive and deadly organised crime groups.
“We will stop at nothing to drive down serious violence and ensure that fewer families have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in this way.”
Established in the Birkenhead area of Merseyside in January 2022, the pilot has focused on making sustainable reductions in firearms and knife crime offences, while improving community confidence and delivering preventative programmes to over 2,000 young people in the area.
Ms Patel made her announcement on a visit to Liverpool today where she met with Merseyside Police’s chief constable, to receive an update on the investigation, and then with the local policing commander to understand the impact the violence has had on the community and what resilience plans are being put in place.
Merseyside Police said its investigations had resulted in arrests being made in connection with all of the murders, including a 36-year-old man from the Huyton area on suspicion of the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel following an operation involving armed officers.
Merseyside’s police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell said she was “incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication” shown by Merseyside Police officers and staff this week, adding: “Cancelling leave, working overtime and coming in on their day off, not just to support these crucial investigations, but also to continue to meet needs of all our communities.”
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) rated Merseyside Police as ‘outstanding’ at disrupting serious organised crime in its most recent PEEL assessment, one of only three forces to receive this grading so far (see https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/merseyside-police-rated-outstanding-at-disrupting-serious-organised-crime-according-to-latest-assessment/).
There are ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilots running across England and Wales located in hotspot areas in eight force areas – West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Northumbria (two pilots), North Wales, South Yorkshire, Hampshire, Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
HMICFRS recognised the effectiveness of the pilots twice in recent inspection reports. First, as good practice as part of the most recent West Yorkshire PEEL inspection and secondly as “innovative practice” in its thematic report on the police’s response to burglary, robbery and other acquisitive crime.