#NotInMyCity: Police Commissioner welcomes new Hits Radio anti-violence campaign
We say "enough is enough" after a spate of horrific incidents across Merseyside
Last updated 16th Feb 2024
Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner says the damage caused by more than a decade of austerity is partly to blame for a spate of violent incidents on our streets.
Emily Spurrell says cuts to funding at Merseyside Police, and budgets for youth services being slashed have all played a part in appalling attacks which have left communities in shock.
Ava White, Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel are among those we've tragically lost in terrible incidents in the last 12 months.
#NotInMyCity campaign launch
Over the coming days and weeks Hits Radio will be looking at the reasons these incidents are happening, and ask what solutions there are to stop them happening again.
We're using the hashtag #NotInMyCity to say "enough is enough" and demand better for the city and its people.
We recognise how fantastic a place Merseyside is to live, work and grow up in, but it also has major problems that we have to deal with head-on.
And we want to hear as many voices as possible to find the solutions.
"Community response has been incredible"
Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell told us: "I think #NotInMyCity is great, it's about demonstrating what Liverpool and Merseyside has to offer.
"We are a welcoming city, we celebrate diversity, we don't accept (violence) as part of our communities.
"The community response has been incredible to tackle some of these issues.
"I think it's great that we've got this campaign to really highlight that."
Impact of austerity
PCC Spurrell says its hard to look beyond years of funding cuts to councils and Police forces when looking for the reasons behind the recent spate of incidents.
At one stage, Merseyside Police lost around 1000 officers compared to pre-2010 levels as Chief Constables sought to balance the books.
Cuts to councils affected funding to youth services, which meant it was harder for vulnerable young people to be identified and targeted for added support.
PCC Spurrell said: "We saw 10/12 years of cuts to youth services, cuts to policing and while we are starting to see those numbers go back up, unfortunately we do see the impact of that, and that's why we're seeing the incidents that we're seeing
"We need to have some investment so we are identifying that vulnerability early on and trying to get them out of that life of crime, because the police can't arrest their way out of it, that isn't going to solve the problem."
Reputation of the city shouldn't be tarnished
Emily Spurrell hoped that national coverage of recent incidents wouldn't change people's perceptions about the city, or make people here worry about its future:
She added: "Scousers are just the most incredbily welcoming people.
"We do have our challenges, we can't deny that, there absolutely are challenges but there's a huge about of partnership work going on to tackle that and the community response is very united.
"This is not something we want in our city'
You'll hear more about the #NotinMyCity campaign on Hits Radio news in the coming days and weeks.