OPINION: It is vital our communities are given fair share of police resources

Muggings and violent robberies are not new occurrences – we’ve reported on countless appeals for witnesses in the Star over the decades.

But the threat of a weapon (a knife in this instance) has been less common and, sadly, this is another depressing sign that those willing to commit violent crime these days will arm themselves with weapons, in particular blades.

In highlighting the story on this front page the Star is hoping it will help the police’s appeal for witnesses (homes nearby could potentially have CCTV of the offenders or drivers could have dashcam footage) and warn youngsters and their parents that these crimes are happening in our communities.

The incident also underlines the threat of knife crime continues to be a very real risk in St Helens and underlines why it is important policing numbers are adequate across the borough to respond to and investigate crime – and also to provide a grassroots presence in communities.

This is not intended as a criticism of Merseyside Police, which again ranked as a good in its latest inspection published last week.

However, the cuts felt in policing – which have happened across the country – have naturally led to officer numbers being stripped back at neighbourhood level.

It’s important to point out that people communicate in different ways with the force these days – social media is a key tool for police engaging with the public. But it would be interesting to know how many Star readers have contact with officers in their communities throughout the borough.

So it’s to be welcomed that Merseyside Police is to be bolstered by 500 new officers in the coming year (see page 29), partly due to the Government’s recognition that the cuts during austerity had gone too far.

From St Helens’ perspective it is vital the communities here are given a fair share of these resources to repair some of the damage done to neighbourhood policing.