Crime across Merseyside has fallen by 13% in the past year, with significant decreases in gun discharges, knife crime and burglary.
The reductions were confirmed yesterday at the Police and Crime Commissioner’s final public Scrutiny Meeting of her term.
The meeting, which reviews Merseyside Police’s progress against the priorities set by Emily Spurrell, showed there were nearly 17,000 fewer crimes in 2023 compared to 2022.
Reviewing the ‘data dashboard’ which aims to give the public greater insight into the work of Merseyside Police, it was also confirmed that firearms discharges decreased by more than 50% in 2023, with knife crime dropping by 13%.
In the same timeframe, residential burglaries were down by more than 17% and theft from members of the public reduced by more than 20%.
The meeting also showed that response times to the public have improved, with emergency 999 calls now being answered on average in just six seconds, compared to 13 seconds a year ago.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “We all want to see less crime in our communities and my final Scrutiny Meeting shows over the past year that’s exactly what we have delivered – fewer crimes committed, less victims and safer communities.
“I’m pleased that the data shows these decreases are already continuing into 2024.
“People also expect the police to pick up the phone quickly when they need them most, so it’s reassuring to see that the time to answer 999 calls has nearly halved over the past year.
“All these results are testament to the hard work of our policing family, and our community safety partners who support this work.
“They demonstrate the resilience, hard work and dedication of Merseyside Police who are achieving all of this, despite the fact we have fewer officers than we used to have, and we continue to battle with budget cuts imposed by the Government.
“While these figures are hugely encouraging, neither the Chief Constable nor I are resting on our laurels, and we’re determined we continue to drive these improvements forward.”
