Police Commissioner statement on anniversary of Elle Edwards murder
24.12.23 - Wirral
Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell has today released the following statement on the the first anniversary of the murder of Elle Edwards.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “As we approach the anniversary of the tragic murder of Elle Edwards, my heart goes out to her family who will find this festive season incredibly hard.
“It won’t end their heartache, but I hope they, and the community, can take some comfort that, thanks to the support of the public and the determination of Merseyside Police, the toxic individual who carried out her senseless, devastating murder will be spending the next 48 years behind bars and numerous other gang members have been jailed.
“In May, Merseyside Police and our partners rolled out EVOLVE Wirral across the Woodchurch, Beechwood and Noctorum areas and this has had a huge impact disrupting and deterring the gangs who had blighted these communities, helping to rebuild and strengthen these areas.
“Since then, officers have made more than 700 arrests and carried out more than 1,600 stop searches, removed dangerous weapons from our streets and seized more than £38,000 in cash and a significant quantity of suspected Class A and B drugs.
“Regular high visibility patrols are providing reassurance to the hard-working people living in these areas, supported by days of action and community events. In January, we are looking forward to holding a participatory budget event focused on sharing money with local community groups to further invest and improve these estates.
“This work is also supported by our Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership which is focused on preventing serious violence by working with young people through a wide range of interventions to stop them getting drawn into gangs.
“Our communities have been critical to this progress. The intelligence and information they have provided has been the lifeblood of all this work and I’m very grateful to them for their continued support.
“While these are hugely important strides forward, they are only the beginning. Through the ‘build’ phase of EVOLVE we are determined to continue working with our partners and our communities to further strengthen local confidence and community spirit, ensuring there is no place for criminals to return and making the Wirral a safer, stronger place to live, work and visit.”
If you have any information about crime in your area, it can be passed on via DM @MerPolCC or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.