Police have arrested 15 people after thousands of pounds worth of drugs, two guns and luxury goods were seized by officers.
Following the 15 arrests in March, Merseyside Police launched a day of action on Friday, March 31, with the aim of breaking the cycle of gang culture in Dovecot, Longview, Yew Tree, Huyton and surrounding areas. Officers along with partners in Liverpool City Council, Knowsley Borough Council, Riverside Housing, Livv Housing Group, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, schools, colleges and community groups, officers have been working to breakdown organised crime groups.
Throughout March, officers seized more than £8,000 in cash, three high-powered performance vehicle cars, a luxury watch, 1kg of crack cocaine, 1.5kg of suspected ecstasy, 1000 tablets of suspected Class A drugs, 271 cannabis plants from two cannabis farms and 6.5kg of cannabis.
READ MORE: Child killer, hitman, drug dealer - How the dark truth about Thomas Cashman was exposed
Officers also seized one quad bike, one scrambler bike, one mountain bike, two e-bikes and a knuckle duster; carried out searches in 10 premises; and made several referrals to partners for housing, drug misuse. A Trading Standards operation at Dovecot shops also saw £800 worth of counterfeit cigarettes seized.
The assets will be sold and converted into money under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which will see cash and goods seized from the gangs given back to the community through Participatory Budget events where community groups submit bids for portions of the money in a Dragon’s Den style setting.
The first Participatory Budget event for the EVOLVE project in the area will take place in June 2023. Local community groups will be able to attend up to four ‘community cafés’ before the event where they can submit bids to claim up to £5,000 from a £100,000 funding pot.
The initial café will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2023, from 9am to 1pm at the L14 Community Centre, The Gate, Princess Drive in Huyton.
Chief Inspector Tony Fairhurst, one of the senior officers on the EVOLVE project, said: “Our officers working in EVOLVE neighbourhoods, which are those that have been identified as suffering most from organised crime groups, are committed to eradicating the pain and misery those criminals’ cause. We want to make it clear to those criminals that the life of crime they have chosen is not the profit-making option they thought it was.
“We will be using all the powers available to us to take back their ill-gotten gains. We will be seizing their cars, their watches, their cash, their luxury commodities, their drugs and we will be giving the proceeds back to the communities they have blighted. We will be stopping those suspected of being involved in crime, their family members, their friends and their business associates.
"We know who they are and we will be using all the legislation we can to determine if they are staying on the right side of the law and those found on the wrong side could be facing lengthy prison sentences. We are going to be breaking their recruitment models and are going into schools, along with our partners and community groups, with a very powerful message to young people who are at risk of being coerced into a life of crime.
“This activity is not a one-off. We have EVOLVE teams whose jobs are dedicated to tracking these criminals, their associates and taking those found to be breaking the law off the streets.
"We are determined to help residents in EVOLVE neighbourhoods and ensure they are once again places people love to live, work and visit.”
Throughout the month officers have carried out numerous warrants, land searches, traffic operations, high visibility policing out on the streets, visited local primary schools, had mobile police stations for people to raise concerns and have been working with partners and the communities.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “These results demonstrate how relentlessly Merseyside Police is working to pursue these criminal gangs and build stronger, safer communities. Crime doesn’t pay and the success of the EVOLVE campaign can be measured by the disruption officers are inflicting on these organised crime groups, the same organised crime groups which have inflicted misery on our communities through exploitation and intimidation.
“Our neighbourhoods will not tolerate this sort of criminal behaviour happening on their doorsteps any longer and their support, coupled with the force’s determination to dismantle these gangs, is critical to bringing these criminals to justice and ensuring local people feel safer within their communities.
“Through our Violence Reduction Partnership, I’m also committed to investing in our young people, giving them opportunities to experience new activities and enhance their skills and qualifications to prevent them from considering a life of crime. This is vital if we are to break the pathways criminals use to exploit and groom youngsters and create a better, brighter futures.”
Andrew Donaldson, Knowsley Council’s Executive Director for Communities and Neighbourhoods, added: “Working closely with our community safety partners we are tackling crime in our communities. We want residents in EVOLVE neighbourhoods to feel safe and live without fear of organised crime disrupting their lives.
“To achieve this it is essential we maintain the good work that has already been carried out as part of EVOLVE and ensure criminal gangs have nowhere left to turn.”
If you have any information about crime in your area, please call Merseyside Police on 101, or contact the force’s social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook at ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.
READ NEXT
Live updates as armed police close road and helicopter circles scene
Teenager, 18, fighting for life after being hit by a bus
Man who helped Thomas Cashman as he sought to cover up Olivia's murder
Matalan's £36 co-ord in a 'gorgeous print' that gives 'summer holiday vibes'
