Merseyside Police focus on youths after Ava and Olivia deaths

The killings of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel and 12-year-old Ava White have shone a spotlight on violence in Liverpool over the past year.

Their deaths have triggered more calls to prevent young people becoming the victims - and perpetrators - of crime.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the community had been clear in asking what Merseyside Police was going to do to "prevent it happening again".

Ava was stabbed to death in Liverpool city centre in November 2021.

In July, a 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 13 years for her murder.

Olivia was shot as her mother tried to stop a gunman chasing another man into their house in the Dovecot area of Liverpool in August.

Thomas Cashman, 34, is due to go on trial next year charged with her murder.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was revealed that some teenagers in Liverpool were being offered up to £1,000 by gang leaders to stab other youngsters.

Merseyside Police said it was adopting a new policing approach by investing in prevention and supporting projects diverting young people from criminality.

Liverpool and Everton football clubs have been among those promoting sports courses, while other organisations have offered young people training in fashion and music production.

Children have also had the opportunity to learn policing skills with the force, such as monitoring speeding drivers.

Ten-year-old Beth, a "Mini Police" unit member who has been learning about the impact criminals can have, told BBC North West Tonight: "Sometimes they don't mean to do it and they think they're just having a laugh but it turns out something really bad could happen and someone could get really hurt."

As part of the new strategy, Merseyside Police is also setting up its first rural crime unit following feedback from communities who feel vulnerable to criminal gangs.

The force said about 50% of the region's crime was classed as rural, with these areas often becoming targets for criminals looking to steal high-value items.

Other prevention measures include "designing out crime before it happens".

This includes simply cutting back overgrown shrubbery or constructing housing projects in a way that minimises the risk of burglaries and robberies.

As it tries to tackle root causes of crime and the vulnerability of certain groups, the force will invest in dedicated officers in schools, while police community support officers will also work with care and foster homes to tackle young people going missing.

Vulnerable children can often be exploited by county line gangs who deal drugs in rural and urban areas so the force will also add a county lines coordinator role to their missing person's unit.

Earlier this year, the government allocated £350,000 for the roll-out across Merseyside of a Birkenhead pilot scheme to cut gun and knife crime.

Ms Kennedy said: "If we intervene earlier, if we work together and take a more preventative approach, we can stop those young people ending up either as victims or becoming the offenders themselves."

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