Male arrested following anti-social behaviour and hate crime in Speke

A teenager has been arrested following anti-social behaviour and racial abuse of a shopkeeper in Speke yesterday evening, Wednesday 15 January.

At around 6.55pm police officers were proactively on patrol following recent reports of anti-social behaviour in the area, when they witnessed group of youths throwing stones at a shop and mud at a car, along with shouting racist slurs at the victim on Alderwood Avenue.

The officers quickly responded and detained a suspect who tried to escape.

The 15-year-old male from Speke was arrested on suspicion of racially/religiously intentional, harassment/alarm/distress – words/writing, assault by beating of an emergency worker, and harassment – put fear of violence. He has been released on police bail with conditions pending further enquiries.

Local policing Inspector Steve Reilly said: “Anti-social behaviour is totally unacceptable, and in response to recent reports of this our officers proactively patrolled the area and arrested a teenage male yesterday who was causing a distress to the shopkeeper.

“Hate crime of any form will not be tolerated, and no one should be targeted or distressed by this disgraceful behaviour regardless of their background or religious beliefs.

“We will continue to patrol the area and while police and partners are working together, we also need support of parents to take responsibility to prevent it from happening in the first place.

“With this, I appeal to parents and guardians, and urge them to know where their child is, what they are up to and friends they are with. It is not only to stop them causing unnecessary distress to residents in the area, but also for their own safety and welfare.”

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can pass any information on anti-social behaviour or hate crime via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook.

You can also contact the independent charity Crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

More information about reporting hate crime to the police or third-party reporting centres can be found here How to report hate crime | Merseyside Police.

If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Victim Care Merseyside is a single point of contact for victims of crime living in Merseyside. The team of trained and knowledgeable staff are available to provide emotional and practical support tailored to your needs. To get in touch, freephone 0808 175 3080 weekdays 8 am - 6 pm or visit their website: http://victimcaremerseyside.org

For advice or support, you can speak to a member of the Anthony Walker Foundation Hate Crime Team. To get in touch, call 0151 237 3974 or email [email protected].