West Derby village becomes ‘war zone’ after police officers headbutt and car overturns

While the owner was serving customers around 7.15pm, around 20-30 young people wearing black ski masks, coats and gloves stormed into the store and a small number of young people stole drinks while waiting to pay for the drinks. As he continued to serve customers, he saw one teenager after another stealing chips from the front door.

He confronted the gang outside the shop and then begged them to stop shoplifting before throwing some eggs into the shop. He showed the ECHO footage of the incident, explaining that he could not share it for fear of further retaliation.

John told the ECHO: “It’s like bullying. What’s going on? They’re happy and laughing. It looks like a war zone. I had to go home after 9pm, it killed me to see my shop like this. It’s not fair.”

He continued: “We are helpless at that moment, no one can help, no one can help us. If we put evidence on the ECHO they will come for revenge. What are we supposed to do? The customers told me to close the whole shop on Halloween but we stayed open and had no problems.” .”

John, who said he had not had any problems with people in the area other than Mischief Night, said he was shocked by what he experienced last month. He said he would close it early next year as he tried to avoid the brutal behavior of gangs.

The ECHO decided to visit West Derby after a police officer was head-butted outside a block of flats close to the Royal Standard pub, where Town Row meets Leyfield Road. At approximately 5.50pm on Thursday, October 31, officers attended Town Row to receive reports of a large group of youths gathering.

A staff member of the local Co-operative told the ECHO: “I didn’t see it but I heard a child headbutted the police. The children are getting worse and worse.”

Police reported that a teenager was detained for a search and assaulted two police officers. Both were taken to hospital for evaluation and later discharged. A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of injury to an emergency worker in section 18; assaulting a police officer; and resisting arrest.

Ahead of Mischief Night, Halloween and Bonfire Night, police have set up multiple deployment zones across Merseyside in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour. The district included all areas within the boundaries of Muirhead Avenue East, Oak Lane. Croxteth Hall Lane, Deysbrook Lane and Town Row.

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The area is subject to section 34/35 of the Anti-Social Behavior and Policing Act 2014. It was within the scope of the section and gave the police the authority to remove people who were or were likely to be involved in anti-social behavior from the area and not to return for up to 48 minutes. hour.

At the time the order was made, Inspector Dawn McNally, commander of the police operation, said: “I would like to remind parents and guardians how important it is to know where your child is and what they want to do. “No parent wants to hear a knock on the door of a police officer knocking on their door saying their child has been arrested or, furthermore, Worst of all, they want him to report that he was involved in a serious accident.

“It is positive that incidents continue to decrease, but we will remain vigilant and want to use this opportunity to remind people to be safe and sensible when celebrating.

“We understand the distress caused by incidents of anti-social behavior and criminal damage, so please let us know if you encounter anything in the coming days.”

But despite the force’s efforts, people continued to tell the ECHO how large gangs were gathering on Town Lane and causing mayhem. A mother who has lived in the area for the last 36 years has told how she was “smashed” by gangs of teenagers who jumped on cars and smashed their windshields during the night of mayhem on October 30.

Speaking to the ECHO on condition of anonymity, the mother said: “On Mischief Night there were about 60 people walking up and down the roads smashing cars. “My next door neighbour’s car was terrible.

“Don’t get me wrong, when I was little, I was one of them, we used to hang out with gangs, but we didn’t cause any trouble, we didn’t do what the gangs do now. My son is 12 years old and I won’t do it.” He was allowed to go out all summer, but it’s not even worth asking anymore. My son is not even a naughty child, other kids are.

“Where are the parents while they’re breaking windows and getting into trouble? For example, on Halloween we couldn’t go back home because the whole road (in Town Row) was blocked off from the police officer. Where are the moms and dads, do you know what night, why are you taking them out of the house?”

As well as a police officer being attacked, some people in the area told the ECHO that a car had overturned near the village’s Millennium Centre. According to those in West Derby, this is the second year there has been an incident involving a car rollover.

At The Hunting Lodge pub, near the village’s Millennium Centre, manager Janine Baird said patrons were afraid to step outside the pub because of gangs aimlessly setting off fireworks. Janine, who has been working at the bar for 14 months and lives in Dovecot, said: “I got into an argument with the gang outside the pub because they were shooting fireworks everywhere. “Older customers in the bar were afraid to leave.

“They’re an absolute nightmare. You have to be careful when you talk to them because there can be about 40 people standing there at a time. I don’t remember it being as bad as last year, I feel like it was as bad as this year.” “This year the situation has gotten worse.”

Responding to anti-social behavior and fears expressed by people living and working in the area, Inspector Kieron Hogan, of Merseyside Police, said: “If anyone living in this area has further concerns about anti-social behaviour, please be assured that we take all reports seriously. We will not tolerate any anti-social behavior because we understand the impact it has on residents and businesses.

“Anti-social behavior is a community priority and so we will continue to work with our key partners, including Liverpool City Council, to look at different measures to reduce crime, whether that be improving environmental factors such as leaf cutting, street lighting and improving environmental factors such as CCTV cameras in the area.” No parent wants the police knocking on their door because their child committed a crime.

“The actions of children or anyone engaging in anti-social behavior or more serious offenses will not be tolerated and we are asking parents to do their part to ensure their children do not end up on the wrong side of the law. I advise parents to know where their children are when they are out and about in the local community.

“Also, if parents know their child is committing a crime, they should do the right thing and contact us. Residents can also join community advisory groups, which are quarterly online meetings where people can communicate directly with neighborhood police investigators. Anyone wanting further information can email: [email protected].”

If you have any information about anti-social behavior you can DM @MerPolCC. excitement or ‘Merseyside Police Communications Centre’ Facebook or call 101.