Merseyside Police hail almost 50% reduction in violent crime thanks to 'hotspot patrols'
The force has launched a week of action targeting knife crime.
Merseyside Police are attributing an almost 50% reduction in violent crime to their use of so-called 'hotspot patrols' across the region.
The figures have been released as the force launched its Sceptre week of action, a national initiative for police forces across the UK, targeting knife crime.
Visible police patrols, including the use of dogs to search out discarded weapons, are being used alongside knife arches, messaging in schools and targeted stop and search tactics to help reduce and prevent serious violent crime.
Police say hotspot patrols have led to a 48.6% reduction in all serious violent crime, with 139 fewer offences compared with last year in 25 areas on Merseyside. This includes a 60% reduction in violent street robbery, with 90 fewer offences.
The 25 hotspot areas across Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral have been identified by officers where there is an increased probability of serious violence and antisocial behaviour.
Superintendent Phil Mullally is the lead for serious violence and knife crime: "Sceptre ultimately showcases what the police are doing to tackle knife crime. We know it's an issue that is raised to policing, not just here in Merseyside, but nationally as a problem.
"High visibility patrolling is an academic based approach that is proven to prevent and deter crime. So what we do is we review our data and we place our officers in the right locations; in the right place at the right time where crime is potentially more predictable.
"If we know that crime is more likely to happen, then we can prevent it. It's a really simple process, but really effective and we know in the 25 hotspot locations, we've reduced serious violence by nearly 50%, so it has a profound impact on the safety of the community.
"We can't just respond to crime. We have to be preventative. That's our real focus here in Merseyside and we know it works through the work we undertake and this is just one style of policing. But this week we'll be undertaking a number of other tactics and techniques. You'll see these hotspots patrols, knife arches and the deployment of knife poles, which enable us to try and recover knives from people who are concealing them in public spaces. You'll see bike marking events right across Merseyside, engagements in schools and really targeted and effective stop and search. So if you are carrying a knife here in Merseyside, you can expect to be targeted. This is not about law abiding citizens going about their business, this is about individuals who we know are knife carriers."
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