Two men arrested following assault on taxi driver in Birkenhead

We have arrested two men following an assault in Birkenhead on Monday 20 September. 

At around 4.55am we received a report that two male passengers had assaulted a taxi driver on Ball’s Road, Birkenhead.

It was reported that the men punched and spat at the victim, following a dispute over the route taken, then made off on foot. 

Patrols attended and quickly detained the two males on Cole Street. 

During arrest, one of the men assaulted the arresting officer and directed a homophobic slur towards him. 

One of the males was also found to be in possession of suspected cannabis. 

The two men from Birkenhead, aged 27 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of common assault. The 27-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, a Section 4A public order offence and possession of a Class B drug.

Both men were taken into custody and questioned by offices. They have now been released under investigation while enquiries are ongoing.

Detective Inspector Michael Fletcher said: “To assault someone in this manner simply for doing their job is utterly disgraceful and simply will not be tolerated here on Merseyside.

“Fortunately our officers attended and made swift arrests. Our enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and if you were in the Birkenhead area in the early hours of Monday morning and saw anything then please get in touch. 

“Let me also say that our officers put their own lives and personal safety on the line every day in order to keep us all safe and they should never, ever have to suffer physical violence or verbal abuse when carrying out their duties.

"I’m sure the overwhelming majority of law-abiding members of the public would agree that assaults on police officers or other emergency workers are totally unacceptable and the arrest shows that this will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

“Regrettably, we have seen an increase in police officers on Merseyside becoming victims of hate crime while on duty. This is not acceptable, and to those who think they can direct abuse towards our officers – we will arrest you and make sure you are bought to justice.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre. You can also call 101 quoting reference 21000653825 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.