Weapons recovered in Walton as part of Community Impact Day

Liverpool City Council and partners have seized weapons from a local park during a Community Impact Day in Walton.

Two knives, a hammer and a crossbow bolt were recovered during the day of action around Willowdale Road attended by the Council’s private sector housing (PSH), safer stronger communities, street scene, and alcohol and tobacco teams along with Merseyside Police, Liverpool Alley Angels, the local Neighbourhood Manager and officers, and the Councillor for Walton and Cabinet Member for Housing, Sam East.

The Community Impact Day was a concentrated effort to reassure and connect with residents in response to the violent activities of Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) in the area. All partners were out to hear resident voices and potentially find issues affecting the community that may go unreported.

The neighbourhood policing team conducted a search of the local park and Rice Lane Recreational Ground where the weapons were recovered. The day coincided with Operation Sceptre, the Police’s Knife Crime week of action. Resident alleyways were also searched.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Licensing Team conducted inspections of local convenience stores in the area. The team visited seven businesses and seized nearly 250 illicit vapes with a value of over £2,000.

Private Sector Housing (PSH) conducted inspections of privately rented properties on Willowdale Road and gathered intelligence on unlicensed rental properties in the area.

PSH also conducted community surveys on Everard Avenue, Willowdale Road, Ashdale Road and Fazakerley Close. Officers heard of issues of anti-social behaviour and resident disputes, and all were referred to the appropriate teams for investigation.

The Safer Stronger Communities team delivered leaflets, and spoke with residents on their doorstep, reminding them of the support available through the Council’s services.

Liverpool Streetscene and Liverpool Alley Angels conducted a litter pick on the streets and alleys and collected multiple bags of waste. Cllr East listened to resident concerns with their alley gates, overgrown vegetation and waste management in Walton.

Cllr East said: The aim of the day was to bring partners together to reassure the community, collate intelligence and identify issues of concerns for local residents, which our team will address with a joined-up approach, working closely with the local community. 

“This type of operation is something we are rolling out regularly as part of our Neighbourhood Model of joining up services across the city.”