City centre policing activity continues following stabbing

Officers in Liverpool city centre are continuing to make arrests and conduct stop checks after a stabbing on Wednesday (27 December).

At around 5.30am patrols located a 21-year-old man with stab wounds at the junction of Church Street and Whitechapel.

Officers at the scene provided first aid before he was taken to hospital for further treatment where he is now recovering in a stable condition.

A further two males, aged 21 and 23, self-presented at hospital with injuries, one with a stab wound to the back and the second with a laceration to the head. They have been discharged from hospital following treatment, along with a fourth man, aged 20 who was found to have sustained lacerations to his head following enquiries.

It is believed the incident is linked to an earlier disturbance involving a large group of males who had been in Safe House bar on Victoria Street

At an Interim Steps Hearing at Liverpool City Council today (Friday 29 December), the Licensing Sub Committee agreed to suspend the licence of the bar following an application by Merseyside Police. The licence suspicion runs until 24 January when a full Committee hearing will take place.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Detectives are trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage form the city centre and have spoken to witnesses.

Chief Inspector Tony Fairhurst said: “Incidents such as this are thankfully rare, and Liverpool has been awarded Purple Flag status for the past 12 years. It remains one of the safest cities in the UK and we know that people travel far from far and wide to enjoy what is on offer here, with hundreds and thousands coming into the city every weekend.

“We are determined to keep it that way, and following a Section 60 order in the city following this incident, our activity in the area continues.”

On Thursday (28 December), warrants were carried out in the Anfield and Wavertree areas and following a Section 60 order introduced on Wednesday and further ongoing disruption activity, there has been a total of 77 stop searches and nine arrests made in the area, many for drugs offences.

A mobile police station will remain in the area of Victoria Street and Whitechapel in the coming days, and officers have visited licenced premises and distributed anti-drug deterrent spray cannisters which when sprayed on surfaces, cause powders to congeal and renders them difficult to inhale.

Earlier today a ‘Cuppa with a Copper’ event was held at 200 Degrees Coffee in the Met Quarter to enable Neighbourhood officers to give advice to the public and answer their question, with another planned for Monday 5 January.

Merseyside Police continues to work alongside partners at Trading Standards and taxi licensing at Liverpool City Council to tackle and issues associated with criminality in our city centre.

Chief Insp Fairhurst added: “We are making considerable progress in the investigation, and I would like to thank everyone who has assisted us so far.

“We know that this area of the city centre would have been very busy, and we know there are people who have not yet come forward to tell us what they know about who was involved.

“I want to appeal directly to them – if you were in a vehicle or on foot in the area of Peter Street who may have witnessed the disturbance, or have dashcam or camera phone footage, please come forward if you have already done so.

“If for whatever reason you do not want to come to the police, you can leave information completely anonymously with Crimestoppers, who operate independently of police."

Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC quoting reference 23001323831 or contact Crimestoppers UK anonymously on 0800 555 111  or online: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously