Crimestoppers has today launched a new initiative in the Liverpool/Knowsley Clear Hold Build area known locally as ‘Evolve’ to help keep people safer and to reduce serious crime.
The Dovecot, Yew Tree, Page Moss, Longview, Huyton and the immediate surrounding areas have been designated a Crimestoppers Zone, the first one in the North West.
Information from the community is vital in reducing crime in the area with Crimestoppers – as a respected, independent charity – being a safe way to pass on what you know 100% anonymously.
Last year on Merseyside, Crimestoppers received over 9,500 pieces of information on crime, which is a record and this led to arrests, seizures of weapons and drugs and vulnerable people safeguarded.
Merseyside is in the top three areas in the country per population for giving reports to Crimestoppers.
The charity has put up signs in the designated area and will carry out targeted social media activity and leaflet drops. It will reach young people using its youth service Fearless brand and community events will be attended to engage with residents to increase reporting and to give the community a powerful voice.
Gary Murray, regional manager for the North West at Crimestoppers, said: “We are delighted to launch this initiative in the Evolve area, which has unfortunately recently seen the devasting effects of serious and organised crime.
“Working alongside the residents, elected representatives, community groups, housing providers and the police, we are making it more difficult for criminals to carry out their activities and making it easier for the community to give information on their wrong-doings.
“Every piece of information given to Crimestoppers is vital in building the intelligence picture of those who are bringing drugs and weapons into the area, those who are grooming and exploiting young and vulnerable people and in helping to save lives.
“In over 35 years since we started, we have never revealed the identity of anyone who has contacted us by phone or online – you will always remain anonymous.”
Chief inspector Tony Fairhurst of Merseyside Police, said: “Everyone involved in our Clear, Hold, Build projects, known locally as EVOLVE, is committed to making the communities that have been identified as being blighted by serious and organised crime safer places to live, work and visit.
“Since the launch of EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley last January, the EVOLVE partnership has made considerable progress in helping to reduce crime in the area.
“Among the successes include more than 670 arrests, over 1,600 stop searches carried out and some offenders handed very significant sentences as we continue our work to disrupt and deter those prepared to engage in criminal activity, which is clearly not acceptable.
“However, we cannot do this alone and we rely on the public to give us information, no matter how small, to help us build our intelligence pictures so we can take action and take criminals off our streets or work with our partners to ensure vulnerable people are referred to the services they need to help protect them from those looking to exploit them for criminal gain.
“As our campaign ‘Silence is Not an Option’ says, we need the public to speak out if we are going to make the greatest difference and I urge anyone with information about those suspected to be involved in criminal activity to contact Crimestoppers anonymously if they do not wish to contact us directly so we can make our communities safer for generations to come.”
