Safer Streets launches in Kirkdale

Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council has launched the Safer Streets project today (Friday, 23 July) in the Flower Streets area of Kirkdale - to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

The first partnership day of the project took place today with police, the office of the PCC, council and partners such at Mersey Fire and Rescue service, coming together in the area, to speak with residents, carry out a community clear up and offer crime prevention advice to residents and businesses.

Local Policing Inspector Sarah Rotherham said: “This partnership day of action is the first in a series of events and activity that will take place in the Flower Streets over the coming weeks and months.

“At this event it’s really important that we speak to the community members, find out what their issues and concerns are, while giving them the opportunity to learn how through two-way communication we can work together to improve this area.”

The Safer Streets project is aimed at cutting crime and improving safety in the Flower Streets area of Kirkdale, using measures proven to prevent crime including the installation of enhancing street lighting on all main roads in the area, as well as upgrading and repairing CCTV and infrastructure.

She added: "This is just the start of the Safer Streets project for this area and we hope the community will come together, so specific concerns and issues are also fed back to the policing team and partners to respond."

The funding will also be used, to carry out ‘days of action’ to clean up the area and fix long-standing problems, such as repairing broken lighting, seats and benches, bins and railings, all with the aim of making the streets safer for its residents.

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “I’m delighted to join partners and residents in Kirkdale as this Safer Streets project gets off the ground.

“This initiative is fantastic news for people living in the Flower Streets. No-one should feel unsafe in their home or the area where they live, but sadly the community here have had their lives blighted by crime, particularly drug-dealing, and anti-social behaviour in recent years. 

“Through this great multi-agency project, our plan is to put some simple, straight-forward solutions in place, relatively quickly and easily, which aim to tackle some of the key issues in the area, significantly reducing crime and improving people’s feelings of safety on a day-to-day basis. By doing so, I hope we can make a real difference to the quality of life of local people, helping to rejuvenate their neighbourhood and build a healthier community.

“I’m very grateful to everyone who has worked so hard on this project and I am looking forward to seeing the results. I will continue to lobby government for additional funding so more areas can benefit from projects like this.”

Councillor Abdul Qadir, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for Neighbourhoods, said: “This injection of much-needed resources into the Flower Streets is really welcome, as it will focus energies on preventing rather than responding to problems. It will make a real difference to the look and feel of the area, help residents feel safer and reduce anti-social behaviour. We also want to hear from as many residents as possible on where best to invest this money, so they can help shape the programme and its delivery.”