EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley, a community safety scheme, has seen a reduction in crime over the past year since its launch. The initiative was established with the support of the Home Office in response to a series of three murders in August 2022 and introduced in Liverpool’s Yewtree and Dovecot areas as well as areas within Knowsley. The project is aimed at tackling serious and organised crime, as well as creating safer and more resilient neighbourhoods, through partnership working across communities affected by criminal activity.
Promising figures released from the initiative show that since its launch, all crime has fallen by 6%, arrests have increased by 16%, emergency calls have decreased by 3%, and intelligence from the community has risen by 78%. Additionally, a significant improvement has been seen in other areas such as anti-social behaviour, which has dropped by 26%, and knife crime and wounding, which have decreased by 57%. Despite the positive news, the figures also highlight a 12% rise in violence with injury category, reflective of an increasing confidence in the police by victims.
Over the past 12 months, 662 individuals have been arrested, while 150kg of suspected Class A and B drugs have been seized by officers, nearly £490,000 in cash has been recovered, 28 offensive weapons and four firearms have been seized along with carrying out 71 warrants and 1,539 stop searches. Furthermore, reiterating the success of the initiative, five significant offenders were sentenced, with prison terms totalling 215 years over the past year. Thomas Cashman, Niall Barry, James Whitham, Sean Zeisz, and Joseph Peers, were found guilty of various crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, among others.
According to Chief Inspector Tony Fairhurst, who is working with EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley, the aim of the partnership was “to dismantle the gangs, stop serious and organised crime and make our neighbourhoods safer and more resilient for generations to come.” He added that the successes to date are only the beginning, and the partnership is committed to bringing a long-term change to the area. Finally, the Silence is Not an Option campaign, part of the initiative, aims to educate people about the signs of gang activity and encourage reporting to prevent gang crime
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