TEAM EFFORT DELIVERS RIGHT RESULT

A team effort delivered the right result in Everton this week in improving the lives of local residents.

Liverpool legend Phil Neale gave his backing to police, council, housing and probation officials who embarked on a week of action aimed at tackling crimes like drug dealing, car theft, burglary and anti-social behaviour.

Officers on horses and quad bikes patrolled Thirlmere Road and Salisbury Road during the 'Respect Week' to deter and disrupt criminal activity while officers and PCSOs visited shops, pubs, churches and community centres to discuss any concerns people had.

Meanwhile shoppers at ASDA in Breck Road were given advice on how to protect their cars, homes and belongings from thieves, and local children were offered free activities like football and netball to keep them off the streets.

A Community Payback Scheme was also in operation which saw offenders convicted of things like shoplifting, disorderly behaviour & possession of cannabis doing work that benefits the neighbourhood like hacking back dense undergrowth, clearing rubbish or scrubbing graffiti from walls as part of their sentence.

David Whalley, for Anfield neighbourhood sergeant, and Robbie Keating, the Everton neighbourhood sergeant, were delighted with the way week had gone.

Sergeant Keating said:- "Respect Week is all about demonstrating to the community what the police and other agencies can do if everyone, including the public, pulls together and works towards the same aims. We have listened to what concerns people most and, with their support, we have taken decisive action. Things like drunken violence, drug dealing, car crime and burglary, blight the lives of decent, law-abiding people and we are determined to send out a clear message that it won't be tolerated here or in any other community. Things like the Community Payback Scheme are visible reminders to the public that offenders are being punished by the courts and that the community can have a say in the kind of work they do as part of their sentence. A vast amount of work is being done to transform this part of Everton and make it a better place to live. Offenders who have to carry out the work will also hopefully realise that there is much more to be gained by actually doing things that benefit their community, rather than bring it down through crime."

Sergeant Whalley added:- "The success of this operation is due to the cooperation and support of all the partners involved. We have combined our resources to create an effective approach to tackle many concerns of the community in this area and we will continue to work together to maintain the standards achieved this week. We will keep addressing the needs of the community to improve public confidence and satisfaction and make the area a safer and more pleasant place to be."

Councillor Marilyn Fielding, executive member for safer, stronger communities, said:- “Community Payback is an integral part of our Respect Weeks of Action. It means offenders are giving something back and improving the area, which benefits everyone.”

In total, Everton 'Respect Week' resulted in:-

► 27 arrests including breach of an ASBO and arrests for no bail warrants

► 24 Fixed Penalty Notices and 22 warning letters issued for speeding

► 10 untaxed vehicles were seized in the Everton area

Country Heroes to Help Army Benevolent Fund and Help For Heroes

SOUTHPORT'S Country Heroes, are to perform in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund and Help For Heroes. The event will take place on Victoria Park, Southport on 8 May 2010 to 9 May 2010. Tickets will be sold in advance or on the gate, costing £15 per day in advance or £18 on the gate and £10 evening only. Caravans welcome £6 pp pn. More information will be added on here very soon, so keep an eye online! If you want to go, all cheque's must be payable to:- The Veterans Fund and addressed to:- The Veterans Fund, 5 Mardale Close, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 3TP. Please help to promote it by printing the poster now, by clicking here.

THE OFFICE - LICENSE SUSPENSION

MERSEYSIDE Police have confirm that a 28 day suspension order has been imposed on The Office bar, Concert Square, Liverpool city centre.

In recent weeks police have been working with the owners of The Office - to see how issues can be resolved.

Following the hearing Neighbourhood Inspector Mark Morgan, said:- "We are pleased that this bar has had its license suspended, such actions by the police are a last resort, however undertaken to ensure public safety. We have had concerns for some time over the manner in which it was being locally managed. The action taken in recent weeks and this hearing are in response to the volume of incidents linked to the bar in recent months. This 28 day period will enable us to work with all parties concerned to ensure that the eventual outcome is the most appropriate for all concerned. I'd like to reassure the public that Liverpool city centre is a safe city, with incidents of recorded crime having fallen consecutively over recent years."

The conditions imposed at the licensing hearing today include:-

► The premises licence will be suspended for 28 days commencing on Tuesday, 23 March 2010

► The current doorstaff will be replaced

► The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) will also be replaced

Moving house could cost you your general election vote

WITH a general election only weeks away, thousands of people in the North West, who have moved house, risk losing their chance to vote by not being on the electoral register. The warning comes from independent elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission.

“Moving house could cost you your vote unless you act now. Our research found that in some parts of Britain, only one in five people living at their present address for a year or less are actually registered to vote. But there is still time before the general election and registering is quick and easy:- go to aboutmyvote.co.uk, and print off a registration form.” cautions Sue Burgin, Electoral Commission regional manager for the North.

Local authorities in Great Britain update their electoral registers each autumn which means that by the time elections take place in spring and summer, thousands of people are living at a different address from the one at which they registered to vote.

New research by the Electoral Commission has found that more than one in four people (28%) in the North West, more than anywhere else in the country, wrongly think that if you pay council tax you are automatically put on the electoral register.

“If you are not on the register, you can’t vote, it’s as simple as that. I’d encourage everyone to take a few minutes now to secure their vote.” added Sue Burgin.