Two arrested and knives recovered in Liverpool and St Helens

We have arrested two men and recovered two knives on Merseyside today (Saturday 7 August).

At around 12.15am, officers on patrol on Seel Street, Liverpool City Centre, were approached by a member of door staff who reported they had seen a man in possession of a knife.

The suspect, a 25-year-old man from West Derby, attempted to make off on foot but was quickly detained by officers. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article.

Officers also recovered a knife short distance away in a courtyard on Parr Street.

In a separate incident in St Helens, at around 4am, door staff at Empire Bar on Westfield Street reported that a man was in possession of a knife.

Patrols attended and located a 19-year-old man from Huyton in possession of a lock knife. He was detained and arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article.

Both men have been taken into custody and will be questioned by police.

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Haggerty said: “These two arrests this morning show that we will never stand by and allow people to carry knives and threaten the safety of themselves and others.

“Fortunately the arrests were made and weapons recovered before they could be used to cause fear and harm. I’d like to thank the door staff who alerted police so that swift action could be taken to remove these knives from our streets.

“Our officers will be out and about on patrol across Merseyside throughout this weekend to ensure that people can enjoy themselves safely without fear of violence. To small minority of individuals who think they can carry a knife our message is that it is simply not worth the risk: it is only a matter of time before you end up arrested.

“We will continue to work tirelessly with businesses and the public to keep our bars, clubs and venues across Merseyside safe. With the public’s help we can make our streets safer and I would urge anyone with information about knife crime to contact us. Pass on information and we will act.”

If you have any information about either incident or knife crime in your community please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC, Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ or call 101 quoting reference 21000548870 (Seel Street, Liverpool) or 21000549150 (Empire Bar, St Helens).

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.