Put your questions to Merseyside Police's Chief Constable

MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner is inviting people to submit their questions for the Chief Constable and her senior team as she prepares for her next public Scrutiny Meeting.

Emily Spurrell is responsible for holding the Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, to account for delivering on her policing and community safety priorities and maintaining an efficient and effective Police service in Merseyside.

1 of the key ways the Police Commissioner undertakes this crucial role is through quarterly public Scrutiny Meetings, which include questions submitted by the public which she then puts to the Chief Constable and her Chief Officer team.

While the focus for the next Scrutiny Meeting will be Merseyside Police's 'people' or workforce, for the 1st time the Commissioner is inviting questions on any topic with the aim of further increasing the openness and transparency around policing in our Region.

The meeting will be live streamed, at 1.30pm, on Monday, 19 September 2022, to enable everyone to watch and hear the responses to their questions. A full recording of the meeting will also be published on the Commissioner's website following the session.

Residents can submit their questions at:- TinyURL.Com/PCCScrutiny.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "1 of my top priorities as Commissioner is to listen to what our residents have to say and to be their voice on policing and community safety issues. Your questions and opinions matter to me and can help to make Merseyside a safer place for everyone. For previous Scrutiny Meetings, I've asked people to submit questions on the specific topics we've been covering in that session. For this meeting I want to expand it out and give people the chance to ask any question about the policing of our Region and how Merseyside Police are working to deliver the priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan to make our communities safer. It's vitally important the public trust the Police and can see that money and resources are being used wisely to deliver the best possible service to keep our communities safe. I hope by providing this opportunity it will help to reassure people that both myself and the Chief Constable are committed to being as open and transparent about the Police's work as possible. Don't miss your chance to put your question to the Chief Constable and her team!"

Public questions will be asked during a specific section of the meeting. The rest of the three-hour session will cover issues such as recruitment, welfare and sickness levels, the diversity of Merseyside Police, and how officers are allocated across the Region. This will include looking at how the new officers recruited, as part of the national uplift programme, are now being deployed.

The meeting will provide Chief Officers with the opportunity to give the Commissioner a detailed account of the force's progress on how they are addressing these issues and make our communities safer.

How to ask a question??? Please submit your questions by midnight on:- Sunday, 21 August 2022, online at:- TinyURL.Com/PCCScrutiny, or write to:-

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Mather Avenue Training Centre
Mather Avenue
Liverpool
L18 9TG

A selection of questions which are received by this deadline will be asked by the Police Commissioner and addressed by Chief Officers. Questions should not focus on individual cases as these cannot be addressed in a public domain.
 

£100,000 invested by Merseyside's PCC to prevent crime and keep young people engaged and safe this summer

MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner is investing more than £100,000 in community based activities for young people to keep them safe and help prevent crime and anti-social behaviour over the summer. More than 2,400 young people will be able to enjoy fun, engaging activities running across Merseyside during the 6 week School break, thanks to money from Emily Spurrell's Youth Diversion Fund. To officially launch the Fund, the PCC has visited 1 of the successful organisations. Team Oasis in Dingle will use their £5,000 cash injection to provide inclusive activities from:- dance to drama, sports, photography and careers support, for more than 120 young people over the summer holidays.

This is the 1st time the Commissioner has run the Fund over the summer holidays, with the focus on giving young people from struggling families more opportunities and helping to ease holiday hardship, while also looking to reduce crime and ASB which often spikes when the Schools close. By working closely with community safety partners, the PCC has been able to allocate the funding to 22 fantastic grassroots projects that are best placed to provide support for young people across the Region.

The funding will be shared by 6 grassroots community groups in Liverpool, 5 in Knowsley, and Wirral, and 3 successful organisations from:- Sefton and St Helens, which will provide a wide array of activities over the 6 week's breaks. Many of the organisations will also provide meals for the young people to ensure they are not going without during the School holidays.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "It's fantastic to be able to award a cash boost to each these 22 great grassroots organisations across Merseyside to help them provide safe, fun, engaging activities for young people during the School holidays. We know the vast majority of young people want to do something positive with their time, but sadly those opportunities aren't always open to all. For families who are struggling to make ends meet, expensive holiday clubs and classes are simply not an option. Through my Youth Diversion Fund, my goal was to ease that pressure and provide a lifeline to these young people. From boxing and football sessions to cooking, dance and martial arts classes, I want to give them the chance to gain new skills and experience, increase their confidence and broaden their horizons. These projects are focused in areas where we know, sadly, there can often be a spike in crime and ASB during the 6 week's break when young people are not in School and there are long light nights with little for them to do. The more we can offer exciting opportunities for young people which keep them occupied and engaged, the less chance there is they will get involved in any activity which could become anti-social or criminal, meaning fewer victims and safer communities. This gives young people a brighter future, while helping to create nicer, better places to live, and reducing the burden on the Police during a particularly busy time of the year."

Founder of Team Oasis, Paul Nilson said:- "We are grateful to the PCC for this funding. It will help us deliver activities for young people during the summer months, keeping them safe, active and fed. Team Oasis provides a wide range of youth and family provision for all ages and abilities. Our service is in an area that may see some young people get involved in criminality due to the lack of opportunity for them. With this funding we will bridge that gap and give them other avenues to develop and thrive."

Among the successful organisations are Centre 63 CIC in Knowsley who have been awarded £5,000 to run issue based workshops, sports activities, practical workshops and fun activities for 180 young people aged:- 10 to 18.

In Sefton, £4,200 has been allocated to The Inclusion Network CIC to deliver health and wellbeing sessions including:- walking, fitness and fishing classes to a targeted group of 20 young people identified as being at risk of getting involved with ASB.

On the Wirral, £3,940 will be used to provide boxing and mixed martial arts coaching to 25 young people, while in St Helens, the Under Construction Crew will use their cash grant to provide activities, including:- dance and performance classes, for 120 young people.

This is the 2nd round of funding released by the PCC through her Youth Diversion Fund. Last year, nearly 6,500 young people benefitted from projects running during Halloween and Bonfire Night.