Merseyside Police have issued a 'simple' message after two knife attacks in two days.
Police shared a statement on knife crime the same week a 14-year-old boy was convicted of murdering 12-year-old Ava White in Church Alley. The incident shook the city and led to a huge outcry for people to stop carrying knives.
This week police have responded to two stabbing incidents, the first was on Tuesday, May 26, when a 21-year-old was stabbed in the shoulder and hit over the head with a crowbar by a gang of four men. The attack happened on Fox Street in Liverpool City Centre and the 21-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.
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The next night a 14-year-old boy was stabbed in the armpit in Campbell Square after a row with a gang on the number 80 bus. Three boys aged 15, 15 and 17 from Anfield, Litherland and Crosby respectively were located and arrested by officers. All arrested remain in custody for questioning and a knife believed to have been used in the attack was also found.
As extensive enquiries into the incident continue, police are issuing a stark warning to young people about the consequences of carrying a knives.
Chief Inspector Phil Mullally said: "Our message to any young person who is thinking of carrying of a knife is crystal clear: it is just not worth the risk of causing serious injury or harm to yourself and others. It was only through extreme good fortune that the young man who was hurt yesterday did not suffer very serious injuries – or worse.
"Just this week we have seen the devastating consequences of carrying and using a knife as a 14-year-old boy was found guilty of the murder of Ava White. Her family and community are enduring unimaginable pain following her murder and her attacker is now facing significant time behind bars. I quite simply say - please don’t carry a knife and risk such unbearable tragedy happen to you or your family.
"I would appeal to all young people who think about carrying a knife to seriously consider the consequences - you could end up jailed, killed or injured and bring serious suffering upon your loved ones and others.
"At Merseyside Police we are committed to working with our partners to deter offenders, educate young people about the dangers of knife crime and bring those involved to justice. Working with the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership we have visited schools to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime and have been delivering the ‘To the Edge’ film to help divert young people away from violence.
"During Operation Sceptre earlier this month, a dedicated week of action to tackle knife crime, police officers proactively engaged with young people to warn them about the dangers of carrying a knife and what this sort of criminal activity can lead to. In just one week, we spoke to more than 1,000 students about knife crime through our community meetings and engagement events.
"Our dedicated response to serious violent crime, Operation Target, continues to be deployed proactively to tackle serious violence. This year we’ve conducted 1,107 weapon searches, stop searched 3,897 people and seized 1,844 weapons which can no longer be used to cause fear and harm in our communities.
"Thanks to our ongoing work, since 2019 the proportion of serious violence victims aged between 11 and 15 years old, where a knife has been used or threatened has reduced. We want this to carry on and we will continue our efforts to make sure fewer young people involved in knife crime on Merseyside.
"We will never stand by and allow people to carry knives and threaten the safety of themselves and others. With the public’s help, we can make Merseyside a safer place and I appeal to anyone who has any information in relation to the incident yesterday, or knife crime in Merseyside to contact police."
If you would like to report someone in possession of a knife, know whether they are being hidden or are simply concerned about your loved one, please do contact us @MerPolCC or via CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111, or the Fearless campaign website: https://www.fearless.org/en/give-info.
