Gangland thugs in Merseyside have inflicted painful blow after painful blow on their communities this year.
For most law-abiding people, it is tempting to see violence inflicted by members of organised crime groups as mostly only affecting other criminals. But that goes out of the window when guns are involved and bullets are sprayed around indiscriminately by reckless fools.
The latter half of 2022 has posed a troubling conundrum for detectives and organisations involved in reducing violent crime in Merseyside. For several years, the number of firearms discharges in the county has dropped dramatically, reaching 21 year lows in 2021.
Until August, there had not been a single firearms related death in Merseyside for over a year, since notorious gun thug Reuben Murphy executed young dad Patrick Boyle in a Huyton street. But, while the number of discharges has drastically reduced, the bullets that have been fired in anger have caused unimaginable carnage.
Five fatal shootings between August 16 and December 24 is an astonishing figure for an area like Merseyside, including two in Wirral which has historically not suffered from high levels of gun crime. And of course included in that depressing figure are a young schoolgirl, three unarmed, innocent women and a young man with his best years ahead of him.
After the six days in August when nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 28-year-old Ashley Dale and 22-year-old Sam Rimmer all died, if you thought surely the same horrors could not be inflicted on another family before the year was out, you would have been forgiven. But, true to form, crime gangs placed what Chief Constable Serena Kennedy termed their "pathetic and petty" disputes over the right of innocent people to live.
Merseyside Police seem to be making the right moves, and pursuing the right strategies to target organised criminals, with a focus on prevention and violence reduction partnership models that have been so successful in cities such as Glasgow.
Children as young as primary school age are being offered education and mentoring on how to avoid the allure of criminal gangs, and communities are being supported to reject criminal activity. But that is a long-term solution, and right now those remorseless organised crime gangs with a stranglehold on some estates need to be hit with harder tactics.
Right now, the police need information to offer even the most cold comfort to the families of Elle Edwards, and the other victims who have lost their lives to gun crime this year.
In the words of Chief Constable Kennedy: "The use of firearms, violence and intimidation has no place in our communities, and sadly we often see firearms being used to resolve petty and pathetic issues.
"These people are cowards, who think the only way to resolve an argument is through violence, they don’t have the strength or resolve to work things out and stop things from reaching such an ugly and devastating conclusion.
"Anyone involved in arranging this shooting, pulling the trigger and supplying the gun deserves to see every Christmas from behind bars . We will be relentless in our commitment to find justice for Elle and her family. I urge anyone who has any information about those responsible for this horrific shooting at a crowded local public house to stop and think of the heartache and pain that has been caused, and if you know who did this, do the right thing and let us know.
We are pursuing a number of positive lines of enquiry in relation to the murder, but the more information we have to build the picture of what happened on the night the better. I would like to reiterate our previous appeals for any dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage from anyone who lives, works or was in the area of Wallasey village on the night of Christmas Eve to come forward.
"If you saw, heard, have any images or videos or know anything, tell us directly or anonymously via Crimestoppers.”
Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000948723.
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