Crime across Merseyside drops by more than 14% in past year
16.06.24 - Merseyside
Crime across Merseyside has fallen by more than 14% in the past year, with significant decreases in gun discharges, knife crime and burglary.
These reductions will be confirmed at the Police and Crime Commissioner’s public Scrutiny Meeting today (Monday 17th June) at which Emily Spurrell will be reviewing the force’s progress over the past financial year on the priorities which she has set.
Today’s meeting will be the first public Scrutiny Meeting since Emily was re-elected to serve a second term as the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
Reviewing the ‘data dashboard’ which aims to give the public greater insight into the work of Merseyside Police, it will be confirmed there were nearly 24,000 fewer crimes during the 2023/2024 financial year, compared to 2022/23.
The dashboard will also reveal that gun discharges have decreased by 14% and continue to be at the lowest level in 22 years.
The data also shows a significant decrease in burglaries of more than 24% and in knife crime of 16%.
All these figures, and the work undertaken to achieve them, will be reviewed at the meeting which will also review the progress against key issues including Merseyside Police’s use of force, Stop Search and the response to those in mental health crisis.
It will also include questions submitted by the public and from the PCC’s three independent scrutiny members.
Members of the public are encouraged to watch the meeting live at 1pm today.
A recording will also be available on the PCC’s YouTube channel afterwards.
Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “It’s hugely reassuring that crime continues to fall across Merseyside.
“It means less people are being harmed, fewer families living in fear and safer, stronger communities across region. This is what we all want to see and what the Chief Constable and I have been working with so many partners to deliver.
“It’s really significant that we also continue to see the use of guns on our streets at the lowest level since records began, as well as a marked decrease in the use of knives.
“While these figures are hugely encouraging, we know there is more we can do.
“We are determined to drive these figures down even further and that’s what my focus will be over the next four years.
“Earlier this year, we launched our Serious Violence Duty strategy which sets out how we will work in the years ahead to continue to prevent and reduce violence in our communities.
“Prevention is essential to all this work. If we can intervene early and stop people from ever getting involved in crime, then we continue to reduce the harm to our communities. The Chief leads on this work nationally, it’s a priority in my Police and Crime Plan and it’s at the heart of all the initiatives our Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership delivers. Today’s figures show the difference it can make.
“I’d like to thank the officers and staff of Merseyside Police, and all our partners who work so hard, day in and day out, to make our communities safer. It’s their dedication and commitment which is helping to deliver these decreases on our streets.
“It’s also a huge credit to the public who play their part by being our eyes and ears and giving the police the information they need to act and working with us on vital crime prevention initiatives, so thank you for your support in building a safer, stronger Merseyside.”