Merseyside’s police and crime commissioner said police “need to be relentless” to get guns off the streets in the wake of Elle Edwards' murder.
Elle was fatally shot while out with friends on Christmas Eve when a gunman fired a volley of bullets at the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey. The events have shocked a community unused to seeing this kind of violence.
Emily Spurrell, whose role involves holding the police to account, said: “My heart absolutely goes out to Elle’s family and friends. I went up to the pub this morning and saw some of the flowers and tributes people had been leaving."
READ MORE: Family able to plan Elle Edwards funeral as coroner confirms cause of death
While trends show the number of firearm discharges has decreased across Merseyside in recent years, Ms Spurrell said she will only be happy "when we have zero firearms discharges" in Merseyside.
She said: “I know from conversations I’ve had with the Chief Constable (Serena Kennedy), she is absolutely committed to reducing that more and more because none of us are happy until we see no more fatalities. There’s been a huge amount of work to try and reduce the number of discharges but sadly when we have seen those discharges we have seen some really distressing, fatal results.
“That’s why we need to be relentless in our efforts to get those weapons off the streets.”
She added: “Merseyside has always had a challenge with firearms. Wirral has unfortunately seen a number of discharges in the last year or so, so we recognise Wirral has those same challenges.
“I wouldn’t like to say it’s something where we’re seeing a spike, we’re not there yet, but we’re monitoring it closely because in any case, one firearm discharge was enough to cause this tragedy.”
After the events at Christmas, the police have increased their visibility in Wallasey speaking to local community groups, businesses and setting up a mobile police station.
Ms Spurrell said: “The overarching feeling is one of shock, it’s not something people expected to happen in that area and I think people are processing (it). They have felt reassured by the police response and the police presence.
“We had a great conversation with one of the cafe owners who was keen to know what they can do to help in terms of bringing the community together and sharing information to stop something like this happening again.”
Despite recent shootings taking place in areas including Woodchurch as well as organised crime in other parts of Wirral, Ms Spurrell said: “I am satisfied that Merseyside Police are taking this seriously. From an investigation point of view, there’s a huge amount of work that is being done.
“They have already moved quickly with this most recent investigation. The staff have been incredible in terms of them coming in on their days off, giving up their Christmases and gathering that crucial evidence.”
Ms Spurrell pointed to Merseyside Police’s rating by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, a police watchdog, of "outstanding" in tackling serious organised crime but said the force was under pressure with 400 fewer officers compared to 2010.
She added: “I think from a prevention point of view, it would be remiss of me not to point out that there are challenges around police response at the minute due to cuts that we have seen over the last ten years.
“It’s not just about the police. The police can’t stop crime on their own, we have to have that support from our local authorities and community organisations too but they have also struggled with losing vital resources.”
Ms Spurrell also said the Clear, Hold, Build pilot was working in areas with high levels of crime. The project combines three approaches from making arrests and collecting evidence to visible police presence, community rebuilding, and Wirral Council cleaning and improving areas.
After the tragic events on Christmas Eve and three high-profile deaths involving guns in August 2022, Ms Spurrell said progress would be “more firearms off the streets, more individuals arrested, and more vulnerable people being supported.”
She added: “The challenge with all of this is there’s no quick wins. These are all long-term approaches to tackling this sort of crime, particularly when you’re looking at the next generation and putting them on a better path.
“That does take time to deliver but I’m confident there’s a really strong partnership in Wirral. All of us are looking at each other and what we need to do. Clearly we have made some progress but recent events show we need to do more.”
For those affected by the events at the Lighthouse, support is available through the Victim Care Merseyside support service on 0808 175 3080. A 24 hour crisis helpline has also been set up by Wirral Council on 0800 145 6485.
Information in relation to the Elle Edwards case can be passed via 101, DM @MerPolCC or by contacting @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111.
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