Utilizing spoken word as a tool for education, a Home Office-supported initiative is being implemented to address gang culture and enhance safety in Merseyside. Merseyside Police, in collaboration with Liverpool City Council, is taking a novel approach to combat serious and organized crime by introducing the ‘Dear Merseyside’ program in secondary schools located in EVOLVE regions – areas most impacted by criminal activities.
Conceived as a love letter to Merseyside, ‘Dear Merseyside’ is an artistic creation by 21-year-old spoken word artist Joseph Roberts. The piece delves into issues related to gang culture and knife crime, offering solutions and emphasizing the ‘love where you live’ philosophy underpinning EVOLVE. This initiative aligns with EVOLVE, Merseyside’s response to the Home Office’s Clear, Hold, Build strategy, which involves sustained collaboration between law enforcement agencies and partners to eliminate organized crime groups and reinforce community resilience for long-term security.
EVOLVE projects are underway in various areas like Netherton, Wirral, Liverpool, Knowsley, Everton, and parts of Vauxhall. The latest site under the Clear, Hold, Build model is EVOLVE Everton-Vauxhall, where high-visibility patrols have been conducted since January to disrupt criminal activities. Results include 255 arrests, 32 executed warrants, 415 stop searches, safeguarding of seven vulnerable individuals, seizure of 12 weapons, nearly 10kg of drugs, and over £21,000 in cash.
The ‘Dear Merseyside’ project was inaugurated at a media event in the Odeon, Liverpool One, featuring addresses by Joseph Roberts, Catch22, Everton in the Community, and the LFC Foundation. The extensive rollout will entail assemblies for approximately 2,000 Year 8 students, workshops on creating spoken word pieces, and production of video and audio content by youths for youths, aimed at disseminating crucial messages through social media and audio platforms
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