Wirral 'in a very good place' in fight against crime

In an interview at Manor Road Police Station in Liscard today (Wednesday, May 22), Supt Matthew Moscrop said the last 12 months had been positive with a fall in the use of guns, knife crime and bike thefts, but he also urged the public to continue to play its part in helping reduce crime.

He also gave an update the investigation into the murder of Jacquie Rutter and said plans were in place to deal with anticipated anti-social behaviour on Wirral over the summer months.

Supt Moscrop -  who was born and bred on Wirral, has been in Merseyside Police for 27 years and took over as superintendent for the borough in 2022 - told the Globe: "I think we are in a very good place. 

"The last year has seen vast improvements on Wirral with big reductions in serious organised crime.

"Firearms incidents were a massive concern in 2022, there were some terrible events. There was not a single discharge in 2023 and one, so far, this year - fortunately nobody was injured, but two people were charged in connection with that last week.

"We are in much better position with general crime. Over the last financial year, burglary is down, fewer vehicles were stolen and knife crime was down."

Looking to the future, Supt Moscrop, said: "The picture has improved an awful lot and in order to keep that going, we are now preparing for the summer when we know we can face additional challenges.

"When you get good weather, the open spaces, coasts and parks can get busier and sometimes, with that comes anti-social behaviour.

"We are working with the council and other providers to focus on those areas and do what we can with regards to activities to help people engage in the right kind of behaviour and conduct, but we do ask parents to be mindful of where their children are going, what they're getting up to and stay away from issues and people that may get them into bother.

Wirral superintendent Matthew Moscrop (Image: Merseyside Police)"Overall, last year was better than it had been in previous years, but we did have some issues in West Kirby, particularly after the GCSEs and schools break up. 

"We do understand people want to celebrate, but sometimes they can take it too far and local people have suffered some appalling behaviour.

"Another major issue for us over the last couple of years are bike thefts. We do have young people with very expensive bikes. It's very nice that they have them, of course, but there are some people out there who would rather take them and not pay for them. 

"We have, therefore, done an awful lot of work to increase the registration of bikes. It means that if we stop a person of concern with a suspected stolen bike, we can get it back to the correct owner.

"Last week, for example somebody was arrested in Wallasey with a bike that had been some stolen a few weeks before.

"We want to encourage people to attend Bikesafe events and get their bikes registered. The more bikes we can register and the more people know they are registered and are being checked, we hope that will act as a deterrent.

"It's not just about getting a stolen bike back to someone but we want it in the minds of people that 'if you steal a bike, the chances are it's going to be marked and you'll be found out as a result'. So, we'll keep on pushing the Bikesafe campaign."

The search continues to find those responsible for the murder of 53-year-old Jacqueline Rutter, who was shot in the chest in her own home on Meadowbrook Road in Moreton at around 1am on Sunday, October 30, 2022.

Jacqueline Rutter. 53, was shot in the chest in her own home on Meadowbrook Road in Moreton at around 1am on Sunday, October 30, 2022 (Image: Merseyside Police)

The incident is being treated as "targeted" and detectives believe two or three people were involved in the shooting.

So far, Merseyside Police have arrested eight people, but no one has ever been charged for her murder.

Supt Moscrop said: "The investigation is continuing on that. We hope to get charges and convictions in relation to that, but are not at that stage just yet.

"We saw the tragic death of the elderly woman in Spital recently and had a charge from that.

"We have a good success rate in getting charges and getting to court in the most serious cases, but the Jackie Rutter case is still very much a live investigation."