Willing residents will be asked to share their thoughts on the impact of violence on communities, their perceptions of the problem, the causes, the consequences and what they want to see happen to prevent themselves and others having a fear of violence.

The development of the strategy is being led by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, with the support of the five Community Safety partnerships in Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral as well as other organisations. They are made up of Councils, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, NHS, and National Probation Service.

Other partners such as youth justice, prisons, education and voluntary sector services are also involved.  

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Serious violence can affect anyone and the consequences are often devastating and life-changing – whether you are a victim, a relative or loved one, friend or witness.

“We are determined to prevent and reduce serious violence to stop more families suffering such heartache and harm.

“To do that, it’s vital we understand people’s perceptions of violence and how we can make them feel safer. This is a chance for people across Merseyside to have their voices heard.

By taking part, you will help inform the work we do in the future to protect families and communities, and I would encourage everyone, please have your say.”

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Safety, Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, said: “As the tragedies we have experienced as a region in the past few years show, violence has a devastating ripple effect causing harm to individuals, families, communities and our society.

“We want to make sure that everyone who lives, studies and works in Merseyside has the opportunity to be heard in relation to their feelings of safety, experiences of crime and sense of community.

“This is a chance for you to have your voice heard in a way which will directly influence how we work with you to address issues of safety and violence in your communities.”

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “No-one should have to fear for their personal safety when they are out and about but all too often, a small number of residents tell us it is something which they are constantly worrying about and trying to protect themselves against.

“This is a completely unacceptable situation and it is the responsibility of every single one of us to be aware of it and to prevent it happening.”

Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods said: “In Knowsley and across the city region, we have experienced first-hand the impact serious violence has on our communities and the often life-changing devastation it leaves behind.

“We want to put residents at the centre of our strategy to reduce violence and ensure that your views, feelings and experiences are used to influence how we tackle violence across the city region.

“I urge all residents to take part in the survey and have their say in creating safer communities.” 

Online Survey

The survey is completely anonymous, is open to anyone living, studying or working in Merseyside, and can be found at https://smartsurvey.co.uk/s/your-safety-matters/.

Cllr Helen Cameron, Chair of the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee for Wirral Council, said: “In recent times, we have seen some of the most high-profile and shocking violent crimes occurring here in Wirral and I appreciate the progress made by Merseyside Police to disrupt and deter organised crime groups. We know, however, that we need to address the root causes of these terrible incidents; the consequences they have on communities.

 “With five community safety partners across the region coming together and the PCC engaging with as many people as possible, this consultation could help to shape a comprehensive strategy to reduce the levels of serious, violent crime and the address the impact it has on our communities.”

The closing date is Sunday 1 October 2023.

FAQs

What are we consulting on?

The tragedies we've seen in our region show that violence has a devastating ripple effect causing harm to individuals, families, communities and our society.

We believe that everyone should have the chance to talk about their feelings of safety, experience of crime and sense of community. We will ensure that these needs, views and ideas influence decisions on what we do to reduce serious violence and its devastating impact.

We want to understand how violence affects people in Merseyside. We are asking:

• What are your views on the problem of violence?
• What causes violence in our communities?
• How does violence affect you and your community?
• What can we do to reduce violence?

We want to hear your views on what we can do to make people feel safer and minimise fear of violence. Your opinions matter to us and we welcome feedback from everyone.

Who is this consultation for?

This survey is open to everyone living, studying or working in Merseyside, aged 16 or above. Participation is voluntary.

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

The closing date for this survey is Sunday 1st October 2023.

Who are we?

This consultation is run by Merseyside’s Police Commissioner supported by the region’s Community Safety Partnerships, which are groups of organisations responsible for addressing issues which threaten the safety of people in our local area. There are five Community Safety Partnerships in Merseyside: Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. The partnership contains the Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, NHS, and National Probation Service. Other partners such as youth justice, prisons, education and voluntary sector services are also involved.

What will happen to my views?

We are developing a Serious Violence Response Strategy (a document which sets out a plan of where we will focus our efforts). This strategy will detail how we will reduce serious violence in Merseyside. Your views will help shape this strategy, which will be published on the websites of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Councils, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, NHS and Probation Service across Merseyside in January 2024.

We will not collect the names of people taking part in our survey, but we will collect other information to improve our understanding of different experiences of violence. This way, we can better tailor our response strategy to different needs.

All responses will be held securely and in line with data protection requirements. Only a small team of staff in Liverpool City Council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner will have access to all the survey responses. The relevant information for each area will be available to a small team in each of the five partnerships to support development of localised delivery plans.

The data collected in this survey will be used for the purposes of this consultation only, including the development of the strategy and local delivery plans, and it will be securely deleted as soon as it is no longer needed.