Prevention
3. Approaches to Prevention
Primary Prevention
Preventing and minimising the risk of harm to individuals through a focus on large populations.
Safer Schools
Building and maintaining positive relationships between young people and the police, Safer Schools officers will identify underlying causes when students begin to engage in crime or anti-social behaviour and intervene at the right moment to support and avoid criminalisation.
Community Engagement
Working with our communities and putting them first so we can understand and meet their needs, whilst building trust and confidence in everything we do.
Fairness in Policing
Working with partners and stakeholders, ‘Fairness in Policing’ enables the scrutiny of our policies and practices to ensure fairness and inclusivity in policing, for our communities and staff.
Citizens in Policing
Coordinating dedicated volunteers such as Cadets, Special Constables and community volunteers, who give up their own time to make neighbourhoods safer by connecting policing to communities and creating an extended police family through volunteering.
Designing Out Crime
Using urban and environmental design to protect communities and design out crime before it happens.
Licensing
Working with Local authority partners, the Licensing team administrate and review license applications, as well as visiting licensed premises. The team also collate evidence and carry out compliance checks in relation to the conditions imposed on licensed premises.
Secondary Prevention
Targeting those individuals at a high risk of offending, to divert them from involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour.
Youth Intervention
Identifying young people who are at risk of committing a crime or reoffending and diverting them, with the support of Youth Justice Services, to make better life choices and reach their full potential.
Early Help
Identifying and addressing vulnerability at an early stage to tackle the root causes of problems before they become established.
Missing Persons and Missing Prevention
A multi-agency approach to investigating, finding and supporting missing people and developing strategies to prevent or reduce the likelihood of repeat missing episodes.
Rural, Wildlife and Heritage
Preventing crime and anti-social behaviour in rural areas, which make up over 50% of Merseyside and protecting the heritage of Merseyside, with the aim of building trust and confidence within our rural communities.
Tertiary Prevention
Reducing or preventing reoccurring problems by tackling the vulnerability of victims or locations, or by reducing the motivations of offenders to readdress the situation.
Integrated Offender Management
A partnership approach to crime and reoffending threats faced by local communities, providing rehabilitation through positive support and a targeted response to those who continue to offend.
Our approach to prevention through our strands, teams and initiatives, will all be supported and enhanced by several of the following teams.
Prevention Hub
The Prevention Hub will focus on developing new and innovative approaches to the prevention of crime. In conjunction with our partners, the Prevention Hub will enable everyone within Merseyside Police to reduce harm, reduce offending and reduce demand through evidence-based practices.
Problem Oriented Policing
A team of tactical advisors providing force wide guidance and advice regarding problem solving, the use of problem-solving methodologies and the implementation of Problem Oriented Policing Plans. Using standardised recording and evaluation, they identify evidenced based practice, building a repository of what works and drive the culture of a problem-solving ethos.
Operation Interface
A co-ordination cell that enhances our activity across the force relating to 3 distinct areas of Policing; Project Medusa, which focuses on County Lines drug activity and associated vulnerabilities; Project Adder, working across partnerships, ensuring more people are signposted to drug treatment providers and Operation Target, providing a focus on preventing serious violence and knife crime, affecting young people.
Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership
The Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP) is a multiagency team, utilising a long-term public health approach to reduce serious violence. MVRP are committed to identifying root causes of violence, with the aim of preventing violence before it becomes part of someone’s life. They provide opportunities and alternative pathways for children, young people and families away from the impact of violence. A variety of primary, secondary, and tertiary approaches are used to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence and to improve life chances for all.
Victim Care Merseyside
Victim Care Merseyside is a single point of contact for victims of crime living in Merseyside. A hub of locally-based, trained and knowledgeable staff offier free, confidential, non-judgemental advice and support tailored to each victim's needs. Click here to visit the Victim Care Merseyside website.