Fifteen arrests and drugs, cash and luxury goods seized as officers target criminal gangs in Liverpool

Fifteen people have also been arrested as officers targeted the streets where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was murdered by gunman Thomas Cashman and the surrounding areas.

The force said it was committed to “eradicating the pain and misery those criminals cause”.

Merseyside Police’s Evolve project is targeting criminals in Dovecot, where Olivia and her family lived, as well as surrounding areas of Longview, Yew Tree and Huyton.

The force said officers have been “working tirelessly” to help break the cycle of gang culture on the streets.

Throughout March, officers seized more than £8,000 in cash, three high-powered performance vehicle cars, a luxury watch, 1kg of crack cocaine, 1.5kg of suspected ecstasy, 1,000 tablets of suspected Class A drugs, 271 cannabis plants from two cannabis farms and 6.5kg of cannabis.

Officers also seized one quad bike, one scrambler bike, one mountain bike, two e-bikes and a knuckle duster; carried out searches in ten premises; and made several referrals to partners for housing, drug misuse.

A Trading Standards operation at Dovecot shops also saw £800 worth of counterfeit cigarettes seized.

Chief Inspector Tony Fairhurst, one of the senior officers on the EVOLVE project, said: “Our officers working in EVOLVE neighbourhoods, which are those that have been identified as suffering most from organised crime groups, are committed to eradicating the pain and misery those criminals’ cause.

“We want to make it clear to those criminals that the life of crime they have chosen is not the profit-making option they thought it was.

“We will be using all the powers available to us to take back their ill-gotten gains. We will be seizing their cars, their watches, their cash, their luxury commodities, their drugs and we will be giving the proceeds back to the communities they have blighted.

“We will be stopping those suspected of being involved in crime, their family members, their friends and their business associates. We know who they are and we will be using all the legislation we can to determine if they are staying on the right side of the law and those found on the wrong side could be facing lengthy prison sentences.

“We are going to be breaking their recruitment models and are going into schools, along with our partners and community groups, with a very powerful message to young people who are at risk of being coerced into a life of crime.”

He added: “This activity is not a one-off. We have EVOLVE teams whose jobs are dedicated to tracking these criminals, their associates and taking those found to be breaking the law off the streets.

“We are determined to help residents in EVOLVE neighbourhoods and ensure they are once again places people love to live, work and visit.”

Merseyside Police worked closely with partners in Liverpool City Council, Knowsley Borough Council, Riverside Housing, Livv Housing Group, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, schools, colleges and community groups, to break down organised crime groups.

Throughout the month, officers have carried out numerous warrants, land searches, traffic operations, high-visibility policing out on the streets, visited local primary schools and had mobile police stations for people to raise concerns.

Assets seized from gangs will be sold and converted into money under the Proceeds of Crime Act and given back to the community through Participatory Budget events, where community groups submit bids for portions of the money in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style setting.

Merseyside’s police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “These results demonstrate how relentlessly Merseyside Police is working to pursue these criminal gangs and build stronger, safer communities.

“Crime doesn’t pay and the success of the EVOLVE campaign can be measured by the disruption officers are inflicting on these organised crime groups, the same organised crime groups which have inflicted misery on our communities through exploitation and intimidation.

“Our neighbourhoods will not tolerate this sort of criminal behaviour happening on their doorsteps any longer and their support, coupled with the force’s determination to dismantle these gangs, is critical to bringing these criminals to justice and ensuring local people feel safer within their communities.

“Through our Violence Reduction Partnership, I’m also committed to investing in our young people, giving them opportunities to experience new activities and enhance their skills and qualifications to prevent them from considering a life of crime. This is vital if we are to break the pathways criminals use to exploit and groom youngsters and create a better, brighter futures.”

Andrew Donaldson, Knowsley Council’s executive director for Communities and Neighbourhoods, added: “Working closely with our community safety partners we are tackling crime in our communities.

“We want residents in EVOLVE neighbourhoods to feel safe and live without fear of organised crime disrupting their lives.

“To achieve this it is essential we maintain the good work that has already been carried out as part of EVOLVE and ensure criminal gangs have nowhere left to turn.”