'Silence is not a option' say police as operation sees crime rates fall

A police initiative launched to dismantle gangs, stop serious and organised crime and make neighbourhoods safer is already seeing results. EVOLVE - Clear, Hold, Build was developed in the wake of the tragic murders of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Ashley Dale and Sam Rimmer in August 2022.

Launched in Dovecot, Yew Tree, Longview, Page Moss, Huyton and the surrounding locals, the idea of EVOLVE was to specifically target areas blighted by serious and organised crime. The ultimate aim is to create stronger, safer and more resilient neighbourhoods.

Since its launch, all crime in EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley areas has decreased by a tenth. There has also been a 25% reduction in serious violence, a 37% reduction in anti-social behaviour and public order offences, and burglaries have decreased by 30%

Serious acquisitive crime has fallen by 6%, criminal damage is down by 11%, and vehicle crime and interference has decreased by 14%. With officers focused on targeting drug-related activity and thanks to hundreds of extra intelligence reports from the public (178% increase), drugs possession and trafficking offences have decreased by 10% since the launch.

Since August 2022, more than 1,400 arrests have been made in the area, key offenders have been sentenced to more than 237 years in prison and several gang injunctions have been served. Officers have also seized nearly 190kg of suspected Class A and B drugs, more than £522,000 cash, 66 offensive weapons, eight firearms, suspected stolen bikes and vehicles, carried out 160 warrants and 1,794 stop searches, safeguarded 85 people and made 124 safeguarding referrals.

Superintendent Tony Fairhurst, one of the senior officers involved in EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley, said: “Tackling organised crime, preventing criminality and protecting communities are key priorities for Merseyside Police.

“Following the tragic events in August 2022, we put in place robust policing operations to safeguard our communities and bring those responsible to justice. While we were able to put Olivia and Ashley’s murderers behind bars for a very long time, we are still working hard to find those responsible for Sam’s death and urge anyone with information to contact us.

“These families, and all the families who have lost someone to criminality, suffer day in day out and we are committed to helping to make Merseyside a safer place to live, work and visit so other families don’t suffer the same indescribable pain. When we launched EVOLVE our overarching aim was to dismantle the gangs, stop serious and organised crime and make our neighbourhoods safer and more resilient for generations to come.

“I am delighted that as a partnership we have made some fantastic progress and achieved some significant successes in the area as seen by the reduction in crime and increase in public confidence. However, our journey is still in its infancy and we are all committed to ensuring EVOLVE is a success with permanent positive long-term changes for those living and working in these areas.

“To have the greatest success though we need our communities to continue to tell us what they know about the activities of the minority intent on causing harm and I urge those with any information to contact us, or Crimestoppers anonymously so we can keep helping those who are vulnerable and bring offenders to justice – silence is not an option.”

Some of the activity carried out by Liverpool Council services since the launch includes:

• New state of the art CCTV installed at Finch Lane and Dovecot shops

• Discussions ongoing with KFC and McDonalds to try to utilise their apprenticeship levy to enhance our youth worker apprenticeship scheme.

• Councillors and LCC officers worked with Olivia’s Butterfly Foundation to organise a memorial to Olivia in the community

• Involvement in regular partnership days featuring environmental clean ups, pest control, home fire safety checks, door knocking, dispensing information and advice, and skip programmes.

• Commissioned Perception Theatre to adapt their production of GRASS for year 7 and above to one suitable for primary school children in Key Stage 2 (years 4,5 and 6). Onward Homes also provided funding for Perception Theatre to deliver three performances of one of their productions in the Yew Tree area

Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene, said: “This partnership was created in response to three tragic events which took place in our city - with the aim of cracking down on crime which blights our communities and ruins lives.

“Just two years on, and EVOLVE’s outcomes speak for themselves – in Liverpool our diverse success stories range from taking illegal vapes and counterfeit cigarettes off the streets, installing CCTV in key areas, right through to community clean-ups and education programmes.

“Working together with Merseyside Police and other partners, means we can share resources and intelligence which ultimately make a real, positive difference to ­­­­residents and businesses which may otherwise be impacted by organised crime, and we look forward to seeing what more we can achieve in the future.”

Some of the activity carried out by Knowsley Council services since the EVOLVE launch includes:

• Seizure of 931 illegal vape products by Knowsley Trading Standards that led to two prosecutions

• A number of community walkabouts organised by the Crime and Communities team in conjunction with partner agencies

• New children’s play equipment installed at Hillside Community Centre, as well as improvement works to the surrounding green spaces

• Supported the area to be a Crimestoppers site which has increased calls to Crimestoppers

Councillor Shelley Powell, Knowsley Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: "Serious and organised crime has no place in our communities. The EVOLVE campaign has already helped dismantle criminal enterprises in Knowsley and we will continue to work closely with partner agencies to ensure people feel safe and happy where they live, without the fear of organised crime disrupting their lives.

"This ongoing commitment to our residents will not stop. We must continue to work together to tackle organised crime and leave criminals with nowhere left to turn." Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell added: “These figures speak for themselves. Clearly, since the launch of EVOLVE much has changed for these communities.

“Using fear and intimidation, these organised crime groups brought misery to the neighbourhoods in which they operated, cowardly hiding in these communities, often manipulating vulnerable people to do their bidding for them. These communities can now be assured that many of these criminals are behind bars for a very long time, and this needs to serve as a warning for any other individual considering getting involved in illegal activity.

“I want to thank Merseyside Police for their relentless pursuit of these illegal gangs and their robust action in clearing them from these communities. I also want to thank our partner organisations, who by working closely and cohesively with local policing teams, increased our ability to hold these communities, making it harder for these criminals to return.

“Lastly, I want to thank the good people who live in these areas. Their resilience, passion and dedication is helping to increase a feeling of safety and belonging, building their neighbourhoods back into places where people love to live, work and play.”

Other successes of EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley include:

• The distribution of £100,000 seized from criminals to community groups in Liverpool and Knowsley in a participatory event last June to help provide activities for young and vulnerable people, tackle County Lines and improve the area

• Everton in the Community and LFC Foundation have been delivering a weekly PL Kicks session at Lord Derby Academy since July 4,2023 and have supported around 100 young people during this time, engaging them in a wide range of positive activities and providing them with a safe place to be with the aim of keeping them off the streets and away from negative influences

• Ongoing work with The Big Help Project to secure funding to tackle an area of land in Dovecot that has become an environmental blight with fly tipping and rats and has also been used to hide weapons. Future plans for the land include growing produce to assist with poverty crisis

• Residents consulted on improvements to Jubilee Park, with plans drawn up

EVOLVE's Silence is Not an Option campaign aims to educate people about the signs of gang activity and encourage reporting to break the cycle of gang crime by making an anonymous report to Crimestoppers.

To learn more and make an online report, where only you will know you made a report, see here: Give information 100% anonymously about organised crime in Merseyside | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) Alternatively, anyone with information about crime can call Merseyside Police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.