Community safety priorities set out for Knowsley

Community safety priorities set out for Knowsley

Crime in Knowsley reduced by 14% in 2023/24 compared to the previous year.

The finding from the Knowsley Community Safety Partnership Strategic Threat Assessment 2023/24 showed that the success of partner initiatives and increased confidence from our communities in reporting crime were among the contributing factors to the reduction.

Knowsley Community Safety Partners, including Knowsley Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and other partners, presented the findings this week to the Council's Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee.

Other notable findings for the 2023/24 period included:

• Knowsley had the lowest percentage share of all recorded crime in Merseyside (10%)
• Reports of serious violence fell by 15% compared to the previous year
• Reports of hate crime decreased by 9% from the previous year
• There was an 11% increase in incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the previous year. This is in part due to increased confidence from residents in reporting incidents to Community Safety Partners.

Also presented to the Scrutiny Committee was the draft Knowsley Community Safety Partnership Strategic Plan 2025 - 2028, which is focused on delivering the Knowsley 2030 priority of making Knowsley a place "where strong and safe communities can shape their future."

The Plan was put to the Scrutiny Committee before it is presented to full Council in 2025.

Informed by the findings of the Strategic Threat Assessment, the Community Safety Partnership Strategic Plan identifies three priorities to improve outcomes for the residents of Knowsley. This includes tackling:

• Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls
• Anti-Social Behaviour
• Serious and Organised Crime

Working in line with the Knowsley Better Together principles, each of the strategic outcomes set out within the Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2028 contains several "where we want to be" actions which the Community Safety Partnership will work towards.

Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: "The Community Safety Partnership has achieved a lot over the past year in terms of tackling and preventing crime. All partners are aware we must continue to build on our success in Knowsley and also be prepared to overcome significant challenges in achieving our key priorities over the next three years and beyond."

You can find the full report presented to the Scrutiny Committee here.