Blog; Keeping Merseyside safe - investing in the policing you value
24.02.26 - Merseyside
"There’s been a lot of noise nationally in recent weeks about the Government’s plans to merge police forces and change how policing is overseen" - writes Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell.
While those debates continue in Westminster, here in Merseyside my focus remains exactly where it should be: on delivering for our communities, supporting our police, and keeping people safe.
Whatever structural changes may or may not happen in the future, the work that protects our streets cannot - and will not - pause.
That commitment is clear in the progress we’re making right now - new facilities opening, fresh investment in our communities, and innovative approaches to keeping people safe.
This month, we marked the handover of the brand-new Newton-le-Willows Police Station, a modern and efficient base designed to strengthen neighbourhood policing and ensure officers have the facilities they need to serve the public well.
We’re investing cash seized from criminals back into the heart of our communities, with groups in the Dingle currently being invited to apply for funding for new youth projects. It’s a powerful way of ensuring that money once used to cause harm is now creating opportunities instead.
Innovation remains a vital part of our approach. This week, Merseyside Police will deploy Live Facial Recognition technology at a major Everton fixture, helping to identify offenders linked to serious crimes and keep fans safe. I know people care deeply about how new technologies are used, and I remain committed to ensuring transparency and safeguards are always in place.
I’m also working on making workplaces in our region safer through my Merseyside Domestic Abuse Workplace Scheme, giving employers the tools and training to recognise and respond to early signs of abuse.
Alongside this, proactive operations continue to remove drugs, weapons and dangerous individuals from our streets, in fact through our Winter of Action campaign more than 1,000 arrests were made.
So, while the national debate rumbles on, here in Merseyside we stay focused on what matters: delivering safer, stronger communities - day in, day out.