14-year-old arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Kirkby double stabbing
Two teenagers are in hospital
A teenage boy has been arrested following a double stabbing in Kirkby on Wednesday night.
Emergency services were called to Whitefield Drive in the Westvale area at around 8.25pm after reports that two teenagers had been stabbed.
A 15-year-old boy suffered multiple wounds to the body, while a 14-year-old girl was treated for a stab wound to the chest.
Both remain in hospital in serious but stable condition.
Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is currently in custody.
Police say he will be interviewed by detectives.
Detectives believe the incident may have been linked to an earlier dispute which took place between a group of youths in the Tithe Barn Lane area and are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
An investigation remains ongoing and house-to-house, CCTV and witness enquiries are being carried out locally.
Detective Inspector Graeme Osborne said: “Our initial enquiries suggest there may have been an earlier incident in the Tithe Barn Lane area and we believe that there are people who may have witnessed this. I would urge those people to come forward.
“It was a pleasant summer’s evening and we know that there would have been people in and around the Westvale area, both in cars or on foot, and I would appeal for anyone who saw anything, or captured something on their mobile phone or dashcam to contact us.
“We know incidents such as this involving young people causes a great deal of concern for our communities but I want the public to know we are working hard to proactively drive down knife crime in Merseyside.
“Preventing young people from being drawn into knife crime is a big priority and we are tackling this by working with partner agencies and charities, including Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Partnership, to identify young people at risk and help them turn their life around.
“Our message to those who carry a knife, or are thinking of carrying one, is clear – this places you in a dangerous situation and actually increases your chances of becoming hurt.”