Birkenhead and Tranmere

Youth anti-social behaviour, street drinking, retail crime, vehicle crime and begging have been identified as key neighbourhood priorities following community engagement and reports from local residents and businesses.
Concerns have been raised regarding groups of young people engaging in nuisance and intimidating behaviour in public spaces, alongside alcohol-related disorder, public drinking and associated anti-social behaviour in town centres, parks and transport hubs. Local businesses have also reported an increase in retail theft, including repeat offenders and organised shoplifting activity, while residents have highlighted concerns relating to vehicle crime, including theft from vehicles and suspicious activity around parked cars.
Additionally, instances of begging have been reported, with concerns around associated anti-social behaviour and the impact on public confidence.
Collectively, these issues continue to affect perceptions of safety and remain a priority for targeted policing and partnership activity.

Actions taken have included increased high-visibility patrols in identified hotspot locations, supported by the use of dispersal powers to tackle antisocial behaviour and prevent further incidents.
The Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) has now been implemented, providing additional powers to address persistent ASB, while continued partnership work with Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP), youth services, outreach teams and substance misuse providers seeks to identify diversionary activities and support opportunities. Enforcement activity has resulted in two Civil Injunctions being issued in relation to youth ASB, alongside monthly multi-agency governance meetings focused on reducing offending and supporting positive intervention.
To address retail crime, Operation Dale has been launched to improve prosecution opportunities with no requirement for interview if appropriate evidence is present, supported by closer engagement with retailers to enhance reporting and intelligence sharing, as well as the redeployment of Live Facial Recognition resources.