A 17 year old boy from Birmingham was arrested on the bandstand in Southport last night for possession of a class ‘B’ drug and possession of an offensive weapon.

Southport MP Successfully Lobbies Police in Fight Against Knife Crime

Police Minister Nick Hurd has praised Damien Moore (Southport MP) for successfully lobbying Merseyside Police to help in the fight against knife crime in his constituency of Southport.

After finding out that pubs and clubs across Liverpool were to receive special metal detecting ‘knife wands’, Damien contacted the Southport police team to see if they could be introduced across Southport as well.

The ‘wand’ scanners will be used by staff to search customers to cut down the number of people carrying weapons.

Sefton Policing Area Commander, Superintendent Matt Boyle, wrote back to ensure the MP that funding would be made available for the wands for local Bobbies as well as licensed premises across the borough.

Praising Damien, Nick Hurd, the Policing and Fire Service Minister said: “Knife crime can have devastating consequences on the lives of victims as well as their families.

“I am pleased that Damien has taken a stand and contacted the police team in Sefton to help introduce increase security measures.

“The Government is doing all we can to crack down on knife crime, to protect everyone in our communities. We must send out a clear message that it is not acceptable to possess a dangerous weapon and across the country we have encouraged more police forces to take part in targeted action.”

Damien added: “Whilst crime in Southport is down and Merseyside has the highest numbers of police per capita of any area outside London, we need to ensure confidence in public safety remains high, both during the day and in the evening. This is why I contacted the Superintendent to request that knife wands, as requested by club and bar owners, become a priority here.”