100 Councillors unite with Police Commissioner to focus on building a safer, stronger Merseyside

More than 100 Councillors from across the region gathered for the first Merseyside Councillors’ Conference hosted by the Police Commissioner.

Emily Spurrell held the event to bring elected representatives from across the county together with her office and Merseyside Police to discuss how they can work even closer together to build safer, stronger communities.

Opened by the Commissioner and the Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, the conference was designed to give Councillors an overview of Merseyside Police’s work while enabling crucial discussions on key issues including serious organised crime, anti-social behaviour and support for victims of crime.

The event, held at Merseyside Police’s Mather Avenue Training Facility, was also attended by members of the local policing teams from each of the region’s five boroughs to enable discussions about work going on a local level to increase safety and prevent crime.

The Conference also encompassed an expo-style stalled event, giving Councillors the opportunity to network with Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP), Merseyside Police’s Prevention team, the local charities who deliver the Police Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside services supporting victims and survivors of crime and the central Victim Care Merseyside hub team who act as a single point of contact for all victims.

The event follows on from the Tackling Organised Crime Summit held in May which brought senior figures from local authorities, health services, housing, education, charities, and community groups together to discuss how they could continue the work to prevent and tackle organised crime.

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “I am determined to do everything possible to work with our partners to tackle crime and build safer, stronger communities.

“Local Councillors play a vital role serving people in their wards. They know and understand the issues and the challenges their residents face day in, day out. That’s why it’s so important we work closely with them to increase the flow of two-way communication and focus on finding solutions to local concerns.

“Their knowledge and insight can be pivotal in providing intelligence, tackling crime and increasing safety, so I’m pleased that so many of them were able to attend this event and I hope it gave them a greater understanding of Merseyside Police and my office and how we can work closer together for the benefit of all the people we all serve.

“My thanks go to the Chief Constable, her officers and staff and our Victim Care Merseyside services who all made the event such a success.”

Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council said: “It was fantastic to attend the Merseyside Councillor’s Conference. It really puts the focus, with Merseyside Police, on crime and community safety issues not just in Liverpool but right across the region.”

Councillor Paul Stuart, Leader of Wirral Council said: “Today is really important, it’s the first conference of this sort that Emily Spurrell has ran. I hope we can all learn a bit more about how we can help our communities whilst supporting Merseyside Police and the work of the PCC.”

Councillor Manciya Uddin, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities at St Helens Council said: “This is a fantastic initiative. It’s really good to get together with councillors from across the City region to talk about crime and anti-social behaviour because it affects all of us but sometimes in a slightly different way so sharing our experiences of how to tackle it is vital.”