A group of volunteers and police officers from Merseyside Police have worked together to make Liverpool alleyways safer for people who live there.
Alley Angels, a community group whose goal is to improve alleyways in Liverpool and beyond, is in charge of the project.
Merseyside Police is helping the group and has given them money to keep the alleys in Liverpool safe, clean, and free of weapons that could hurt people.
Operation Target, which is Merseyside’s force-wide effort to fight serious and violent crime, paid for the project. The serious violence prevention fund of the force gives money to fight violence and find long-term solutions to problems that lead to violence.
Because of this partnership, 40 alleys have been changed and many potentially dangerous weapons have been taken out of harm’s way.
With help from the Anfield Improvement District and local police officers and PCSOs from Walton Lane police station, the most recent alleyway to be fixed up is in the Breck Road area of Anfield.
A lot of volunteers came out on Thursday, 25 January to pick up trash and check out alleyways with local police officers.
A report of fly-tipping was made, and 15 bags of trash were picked up. Broken glass was also taken away from a nearby car park.
Officers checked the alleyways on St. Ambrose Grove and St. Andrews Road with the help of volunteers and found barbed wire blocking residents’ access.
Neighbourhood Policing Week, which runs from January 22nd to January 28th 2024, happens at the same time as the most recent clean-up in Anfield.
This week, the force is highlighting some of the projects and partnership work that Merseyside’s local police teams have done this year and how they have improved the places where people live, work, and visit.
Constable Ben Sherrington from Local Policing said:
“We are proud to be involved in this initiative and continue to work hard to make Merseyside safer by tackling the crime and anti-social behaviour issues that affect our communities. A big thank you goes to the volunteers from Alley Angels and Anfield Improvement District for dedicating their time to keep these spaces clean, tidy and safe.”
James Coates from Alley Angels, Anfield Litter Network & Anfield Improvement District said:
“In 2023, the Anfield Litter Network collected a grand total of 344 bags which we hope to exceed in 2024 with everyone who lives, works, or visits Anfield taking part to help create a clean, safe, and vibrant Anfield for all.
“We offer free litter picking equipment for residents who want to take part in group picks or solo picks where you carry out a litter patrol on your own street. We just ask that you post your litter picking adventures onto the ‘Anfield Litter Network’ Facebook Page so that we can support your efforts and add your haul to our running bag total.”
Superintendent Phil Mullally, lead for serious violence and knife crime, said:
“Partnership working is vital in reaching and engaging with our communities across Merseyside, so we are pleased to support the work of Alley Angels.
“This prevention initiative supports the extensive work undertaken across the region to reduce and prevent serious violence, which has led to a 22% decrease in knife offences from June 2022 to June 2023 and continues to reduce.”
The help of our communities is very important for going after criminals, stopping crime, and keeping people safe. You can report crime or bad behaviour anywhere in Merseyside if you know about it, please tell the force via their social media desk on X @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’, or by reporting on the Merseyside Police website.
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