New partnership engages 500 young people across Southport & Merseyside in bid to tackle youth crime and serious violence

A youth intervention scheme in Merseyside, funded by Merseyside Police, has supported more than 500 young people most at risk of serious violence and exploitation.

The programme, led by youth charity Vibe, saw youth work teams conduct intervention across twelve ‘hotspot’ locations in Merseyside, including Southport, Birkenhead, St Helens and Liverpool.

Hotspot areas are where incidents of serious violence are highest. Merseyside Police target hotspots across the force area to tackle knife crime and serious violence. The tactic involves operating high-visibility police patrols in specific areas where there is a risk of serious violence, to help keep communities safer.

Over the last month, Vibe has engaged with more than 500 young people aged 13 to 18 years old in the targeted locations. The youth workers focused on themes including mental health, substance misuse, sexual health and anti-social behaviour, and signposted fun and safe diversionary activities.

Paul Oginsky, Vibe CEO said: “Our partnership with Merseyside Police is based on a mutual respect for one another’s work and a recognition that we can be greater than the sum of our parts. Youth workers and police officers have different roles and different skillsets, but we share a common goal, to keep young people safe and away from problems. By Vibe and Merseyside Police working together in this way we will see real benefits for all the people of Merseyside.”

Charlotte Brookes, Operations Manager at Vibe, added: “At Vibe we focus on building relationships and working with the young people listening to their voice, identifying a range of contributing factors impacting young people and potential solutions.

“Young people are facing divisions within their communities, the cost-of-living crisis and substance misuse are all factors that contribute to their barriers, youth interventions could make a real difference in their communities. Young people are telling us that they want to see more support, youth-focused activities, we know that this could make a real difference.”

The programme was funded by Operation Target, Merseyside’s force wide operation to tackle serious and violent crime. The serious violence prevention fund is used to provide resources for tackling violence and long-term problem solving for violence prevention.

In the last 12 months, Operation Target has invested over £300,000 to local communities in Merseyside, on initiatives including new and updated CCTV, knife wands, drug wipes and supporting outreach work with community partners including Kaalmo Youth Development, Positive Pathways, Tiber Football Centre, Alley Angels and Parenting 2000.

Superintendent Phil Mullally, lead for serious violence and knife crime, said: “Tackling serious violence is a priority for the force, and we are working hard to break the cycle of crime. A whole-system approach is needed to address the complex issues surrounding young people who get caught up in violence.

“Earlier this year, we pledged our commitment to prevention to make Merseyside a safer place to live, work and visit. This programme continues this focus by understanding and addressing the root causes, and ultimately, stopping young and vulnerable people being exploited and drawn into crime.

“Our partnership with Vibe aims to support some of our young people in the earlier stages of concern and help them stay out of harm. This approach, alongside our intensive patrols in violence hotspots, is changing lives and reducing violent crime in Merseyside. This combination of high visibility foot patrolling with early intervention and prevention is helping us drive down the most devastating types of crime and keep young people and their families safe.”