Communities ‘have more confidence in police' three years on from fatal shootings
Three years on from its launch, the force says the scheme – now rolled out across four areas – has led to a 300% increase in community intelligence.
Detective Chief Superintendent Graeme Robson at Olivia's Tree in memory of Olivia Pratt-Korbel (Merseyside Police/PA)
It has also led to more than 5,300 arrests and the seizure of about 630kg of Class A and B drugs, more than 260 offensive weapons, 28 firearms and about £2.5 million in cash and assets – which is being reinvested into communities.
Detective Chief Superintendent Graeme Robson said the three murders 'rocked' the area, but police had seen a 'strong and positive response'.
He said: 'We get a really good response from communities who want to work with us.
'They don't want these kind of tragedies to occur in their communities.
'One of the other things we've seen as Evolve is our intelligence reporting from communities is far higher across our four Evolve areas than it was previously which I think is a sign that those communities have confidence in reporting information because they want us to do something about it.'
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed almost three years ago by a drug dealer who chased another man into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool (Merseyside Police/PA)
Merseyside police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell said: 'I think one of the biggest successes of the Evolve project has been the 300% increase in intelligence from our communities.
'That is obviously really significant because it means the communities do have more confidence in the police now.'
As part of the scheme, community events have been held, including weekly sessions provided by Everton in the Community and the LFC Foundation.
Funding has been provided for a memorial for Olivia.
The Evolve project was launched in Wirral following the death of Elle Edwards, 26, who was killed in a shooting outside a pub on Christmas Eve 2022.
There are also projects running in Netherton and the Everton and Vauxhall area.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mother Cheryl Korbel (third right) and Tim Edwards, father of shooting victim Elle Edwards (second right) with representatives of Merseyside Police and other organisations involved in the Evolve scheme (Merseyside Police/PA)
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: 'It has been three years since the launch of the first two Evolve projects in Liverpool and Knowsley, and Wirral following the tragic deaths of Sam, Ashley, Olivia and Elle that sent shockwaves of grief through our communities.
'The heart of Evolve is partnership and its success is a testament to the dedication of our officers, staff, partners and residents who have come together and worked tirelessly to make Evolve areas safer and more resilient.
'The hard work, commitment and collaborative spirit are making a real difference – building trust, reducing harm and creating neighbourhoods where everyone can feel safe and supported.
'Evolve has made significant progress in disrupting and dismantling criminal networks, safeguarding vulnerable people, and restoring a sense of pride and security to neighbourhoods.
'I want to thank everyone involved for the achievements we have made together so far.'
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South Wales Argus
37 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Mother of murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel joins call for communities to speak out
Olivia was shot by gunman Thomas Cashman as he chased another drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 2022. Her death was the third fatal shooting within a week in Merseyside, where 28-year-old Ashley Dale had been shot in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of the previous day and Sam Rimmer, 22, had been killed in Dingle on August 16. Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of her death, Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel said: 'My little girl was only nine years old when she was shot in her own home. She had her whole life ahead of her and the pain of her loss is indescribable. 'It has been three years since I last heard her laugh, put her to bed or held her hand but the pain of her loss still feels like it happened yesterday. 'I will never see her grow up, get married, have children of her own or fulfil her dreams and that is devastating.' Olivia Pratt Korbel was shot dead by gunman Thomas Cashman (Merseyside Police/PA) In the wake of the three murders, Merseyside Police received Home Office funding for a Clear, Hold, Build operation, known locally as Evolve, designed to clear communities of crime and rebuild them. Ms Korbel said: 'Evolve was created to help prevent further tragedies and other families from having to endure the pain we feel every single day. 'While it's making a difference we need your help. To keep our communities safest, if you know anything about criminality, please speak out.' Cheryl Korbel (third from right) and Tim Edwards, father of shooting victim Elle Edwards (second from right) with representatives of Merseyside Police and other organisations involved in the Evolve scheme (Merseyside Police/PA) Last week, Ms Korbel was at Olivia's Tree – planted in her memory in Dovecot – to meet partners from the Evolve programme as well as Tim Edwards, whose daughter Elle Edwards, 26, died in a shooting outside a pub on the Wirral on Christmas Eve 2022. Mr Edwards said the families had got to know each other since the tragedies. He said: 'It's the club that you don't want to be in and we're all in that club, so we're always looking out for each other.' Tim Edwards, the father of shooting victim Elle Edwards (Merseyside Police/PA) He said the Evolve programme, which was set up in Wirral after Elle's death, gave him hope. He added: 'Elle should still be here, living her life and making plans for her future. We can't change what happened to her but we can help stop it from happening to someone else. 'If you know something, please come forward. Your courage could save a life and spare another family the pain we live with every day.' Ms Dale's mother Julie said the last three years had been a 'living nightmare'. Four men – James Witham, Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz and Joseph Peers – were convicted of the environmental health worker's murder. Ashley Dale, 28, was shot in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool (Family handout/PA) She said: 'We count ourselves one of the 'lucky' ones as we have been able to get justice for Ashley. 'Without the support of the community, who knows what position we would be in now? 'Sadly, there are families who are still waiting for their justice knowing that their loved one's killers are still out there walking our streets. 'No parent should have to go through this. Losing a child in such an horrific way and knowing that someone knows who has committed these crimes is just unbearable. 'So I appeal to anyone who may have information that could help give the families the justice they deserve and help ease the lifelong pain they are facing to come forward to police or Crimestoppers.' Sam Rimmer was with friends when shots were fired at them by people on electric bikes (Merseyside Police/PA) No one has been charged in connection with the death of Mr Rimmer, who was with friends when shots were fired at them by people on electric bikes. His mother, Jo Rimmer, appealed for anyone who knew who his killers were to come forward. She said: 'If you know something and you are reading this, please, please speak up. 'No one will ever know as it will be completely anonymous. 'Sam was shot in his back. He was turned away from his killers. This image haunts me. In his final moments, was he scared? Was he in pain? 'I died the day Sam did. I function but I do not live. I know the pain of losing Sam will never go but if I see justice for his murder, maybe the family and I can begin to move forward and remember the happy memories of Sam.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The migrant hotel flashpoint in the heart of London's banking district: How Canary Wharf has become an asylum seeker 'dumping ground' with 'terrified' locals scared to leave homes
Once hailed as a 'miniature Manhattan', Canary Wharf's new status as a migrant hotel flashpoint has been seized upon as evidence of its decline. The decision to house hundreds of illegal migrants in the heart of East London's banking district has prompted a furious reaction from locals, with some complaining of feeling too scared to leave their homes. Protests are taking place outside the four-star Britannia Hotel almost daily, with the recent arrest of one of its residents for walking into a woman's home doing nothing to ease tensions. In a bid to reassure the public, a Home Office spokesperson told Daily Mail that 'we will always do everything in our power' to ensure foreign nationals who commit crime in the UK face deportation once they have completed their sentence. Still, the latest incidents come at a difficult time for the finance hub, which has seen a series of major firms announce plans to leave amid a post-pandemic drive towards working from home. Susan Hall, the Conservative Assembly member and former London mayoral candidate, claimed the use of Canary Wharf as a 'dumping ground' for illegal migrants was evidence of its decline under London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. 'I had a phone call with someone who lives nearby who said she won't go out without her husband because she doesn't feel safe,' she told the Daily Mail. 'This is a prestigious financial district, but clearly Sadiq Khan doesn't care where these people are put, the safety of women and children, or the chaos on our streets. 'It took 12 days to build a Nightingale Hospital - so why on earth can't they build a detention centre?' Anti-migrant protesters who gathered outside the hotel earlier this month shout at counter-protesters across the road The Britannia, which opened in 1992 at the height of Canary Wharf's emergence from an area of derelict dockland, boasts of 'superb views over the London skyline' and usually charges more than £400 a night for rooms. The hotel is also within walking distance of skyscraper One Canada Square, which was the UK's tallest building for more than 20 years until The Shard was unveiled in 2012. It has since become the focus of protests after Tower Hamlets Council confirmed it had been handed over to the Home Office to house asylum seekers. Another group of up to 50 migrants arrived at the hotel one morning last week before being hurried inside by guards. Residents living near the hotel have spoken of their concerns about having hundreds of bored young men now living on their doorstep. Tracey Calder, a 35-year-old receptionist, said she now tries to walk in a group for safety. 'We are forming a group of locals so we don't go out on our own. We are terrified,' she told the Daily Mail. Regular protests have been taken place outside the hotel for days Eleano Borisenko, 31, said: 'I don't feel safe. I've been here five years. We had no consultation. Nobody asked us any questions. 'They never said what would be happening and there was no discussion or debate. It was a huge shock.' Friends Roy Knott, 62, and Jo Avent, 55, live nearby and want the hotel to stop housing migrants. Mr Knott said: 'They get everything handed to them on a plate. It's serious. I don't feel safe and I know a lot of families who feel the same. 'The cost to the taxpayer must be huge as well. Can we afford this? There are police and security there all the time. 'People are so angry locally. I know people who simply don't want to live here anymore.' Canary Wharf has struggled in recent years after the shift towards working from home saw a dip in demand for office space. Many big employers have downsized their concrete footprint as a consequence. The Britannia, which opened in 1992 at the height of Canary Wharf's emergence from an area of derelict dockland, usually charges more than £400 a night for rooms HSBC said in 2023 that it planned to vacate its 45-floor Canary Wharf skyscraper - 8 Canada Square - in 2027, when the current lease expires. Law giant Clifford Chance is also leaving. It occupies 10 Upper Bank Street, a 32-storey one million square foot skyscraper. In 2028, it will move back to the City to occupy a new, much smaller office block. Major rival Allen & Overy has already left. US law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom moved to the City in 2024. And credit agency Moody's is also planning to leave. Despite the slate of high-profile departures, those in charge of the district would point to recent data that shows the valuation of some of its offices are rising for the first time in three years. The value of a £2billion portfolio that includes around half of Canary Wharf Group's office holdings increased by 0.6 per cent between March and June, according to data released by landlord CWG. Even so, many are adamant that the chaos surrounding the Britannia Hotel will do nothing to aid this recovery. Jules Durand, a French financial worker who joined the protests, told the Telegraph. 'I think it's crazy. I may move. Everyone in my building doesn't like it but they won't act and come down here because they don't want to be on camera. 'I don't oppose the hotel, but I just don't want them here. I'm against immigration all the way. My area of France has been completely overwhelmed.' Sharply dressed office workers commute to work during the morning rush hour in Canary Wharf, 2015 Barriers have been set up outside the hotel to keep protesters away from the entrance A security guard stands outside the hotel late last month On Friday, a crowd of anti-migrant protesters descended on the hotel to be met by counter demonstrators. Officers were seen pinning some activists on the ground, with two arrests made. One was an anti-migrant protester who was detained after a bottle was thrown at officers. The other was a member of the counter-protest group who was arrested for failing to remove their face covering. The main road outside the hotel was blocked by hundreds of demonstrators shouting 'save our kids'. Police had to rapidly mobilise to contain a group of 'anti-fascist' activists arriving at South Quay station to confront anti-migrant protesters as they held signs that said 'no human is illegal' and chanted: 'Refugees have the right - here to stay, here to fight.' More than a hundred police officers moved to kettle the group outside the tube station for breaching the peace. People then made their way into the town as the main road outside the hotel was closed. Dozens were carrying flags, leading chants of 'Keir Starmer is a w*****' and 'send them home'. It comes as police continue to quiz a man accused of bursting into a blind woman's flat has been arrested on suspicion of common assault. The suspect, aged in his 20s, was living at the Britannia, and was being held by police in Hackney, east London. He is said to have entered the house on Wednesday night after being followed by a group of men on the street and told to 'go back to the hotel' where anti-migrant protesters were gathered outside. The Met has now said he is no longer living there. A spokesperson for the police this morning said: 'Our investigation continued on Thursday, with officers carrying out extensive CCTV enquiries and speaking to witnesses. 'As a result of this, in the early hours of this morning - Friday, 15 August - we arrested a man in the Hackney area on suspicion of common assault. He is believed to be in his early 20s. 'We can confirm that this is the man who allegedly entered the flat. He is now in police custody.' A 22-year-old woman who was arrested on Wednesday evening and lives at the flat which was entered has since been charged with a number of offences. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'It is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases, but when foreign nationals commit serious crimes in our country, we will always do everything in our power to deport them after they have completed their sentence. 'This government has already deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in our first year in office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.'
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Mother of murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel joins call for communities to speak out
The mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has joined other families affected by gun crime to urge communities to speak out, almost three years on from her daughter's shooting. Olivia was shot by gunman Thomas Cashman as he chased another drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 2022. Her death was the third fatal shooting within a week in Merseyside, where 28-year-old Ashley Dale had been shot in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of the previous day and Sam Rimmer, 22, had been killed in Dingle on August 16. Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of her death, Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel said: 'My little girl was only nine years old when she was shot in her own home. She had her whole life ahead of her and the pain of her loss is indescribable. 'It has been three years since I last heard her laugh, put her to bed or held her hand but the pain of her loss still feels like it happened yesterday. 'I will never see her grow up, get married, have children of her own or fulfil her dreams and that is devastating.' In the wake of the three murders, Merseyside Police received Home Office funding for a Clear, Hold, Build operation, known locally as Evolve, designed to clear communities of crime and rebuild them. Ms Korbel said: 'Evolve was created to help prevent further tragedies and other families from having to endure the pain we feel every single day. 'While it's making a difference we need your help. To keep our communities safest, if you know anything about criminality, please speak out.' Last week, Ms Korbel was at Olivia's Tree – planted in her memory in Dovecot – to meet partners from the Evolve programme as well as Tim Edwards, whose daughter Elle Edwards, 26, died in a shooting outside a pub on the Wirral on Christmas Eve 2022. Mr Edwards said the families had got to know each other since the tragedies. He said: 'It's the club that you don't want to be in and we're all in that club, so we're always looking out for each other.' He said the Evolve programme, which was set up in Wirral after Elle's death, gave him hope. He added: 'Elle should still be here, living her life and making plans for her future. We can't change what happened to her but we can help stop it from happening to someone else. 'If you know something, please come forward. Your courage could save a life and spare another family the pain we live with every day.' Ms Dale's mother Julie said the last three years had been a 'living nightmare'. Four men – James Witham, Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz and Joseph Peers – were convicted of the environmental health worker's murder. She said: 'We count ourselves one of the 'lucky' ones as we have been able to get justice for Ashley. 'Without the support of the community, who knows what position we would be in now? 'Sadly, there are families who are still waiting for their justice knowing that their loved one's killers are still out there walking our streets. 'No parent should have to go through this. Losing a child in such an horrific way and knowing that someone knows who has committed these crimes is just unbearable. 'So I appeal to anyone who may have information that could help give the families the justice they deserve and help ease the lifelong pain they are facing to come forward to police or Crimestoppers.' No one has been charged in connection with the death of Mr Rimmer, who was with friends when shots were fired at them by people on electric bikes. His mother, Jo Rimmer, appealed for anyone who knew who his killers were to come forward. She said: 'If you know something and you are reading this, please, please speak up. 'No one will ever know as it will be completely anonymous. 'Sam was shot in his back. He was turned away from his killers. This image haunts me. In his final moments, was he scared? Was he in pain? 'I died the day Sam did. I function but I do not live. I know the pain of losing Sam will never go but if I see justice for his murder, maybe the family and I can begin to move forward and remember the happy memories of Sam.'
