The government has allocated £350,000 to the expansion of the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot across the Merseyside area. The programme, established in January 2022, aims to reduce firearms and knife offences through delivering preventative programmes to more than 2000 young people and divert them away from violence.
An additional £150,000 has been put towards providing trauma-informed support in local schools and mental health provisions for people affected by a string of shootings which left nine people dead including nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
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Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: “The impact on the wider community is immense, which is why we are providing funding for specialist trauma and mental health support for those who need it, as well as expanding the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot to disrupt Merseyside’s corrosive and deadly organised crime groups.
“We will stop at nothing to drive down serious violence and ensure that fewer families have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in this way.”
Following the death of Olivia at her home on 22 August, Paul Oginsky, chief executive of youth organisation Vibe, which runs services in Liverpool, called for greater investment in provision in the area.
He said: “Youth groups like Vibe play a role in prevention, diversion and intervention and an effective police and youth service partnership is vital if we are to stop these senseless killings in our city.”
Frazer Lake, Liverpool City Council cabinet member for adult and children’s social care, said: “Tackling serious and organised crime is not only resource intensive but also involves dealing with complex social issues to make communities more resilient. This is why multi-agency working is the best way to make progress.
“Rolling out ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ across Merseyside, including Liverpool, will hopefully allow us to make a lasting impact on young people’s lives and we will work closely with Merseyside Police to build on the pilot that has been running in Wirral since January.”
