THE recent tragic death of Elle Edwards at a Wallasey pub is just the latest in a number of disturbing incidents involving firearms to have hit Wirral in a year where the sound of gun shots have rung out reguarly across the peninsula. 

In the immediate aftermath of Elle's Christmas Eve killing many news outlets were quick to mention a number of high profile crimes to have taken place in Liverpool throughout 2022, including the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Platt-Korbel and the shooting of Sam Rimmer in Dingle. 

But this year has seen Wirral develop a gun culture of its own with the notorious Woodchurch estate at the centre of gang fued which has begun to spill onto surrounding streets.

For the last 12 months, Merseyside Police has been targeting criminals on the estate in Birkenhead with their focus on a gang known as the 'Woodchurch Organised Crime Group' (OCG).

The last year has seen a rise in shootings on the estate with one most notable being a drive-by shooting on Hoole Road on March 22 which left a man with life-changing injuries.

In June this year, three men ran into the Arrowe Park Hotel on Arrowe Park Road near Woodchurch, armed with weapons.

The men are alleged to have shouted that shots had been fire at them from a car and they were taking cover.

In November, 53-year-old grandmother Jackie Rutter was shot dead in Moreton, by men believed to have targeted her family.

It is thought that a feud has developed between the Woodchurch OCG and their counterparts in Beechwood, known as the Ford gang.

Earlier this month, Community Police Inspector Alan McKeon gave the Globe a terrifying insight into the issues on the estate and which act as a sinister foretelling of the violence that was to leave one young woman dead just hours before Christmas Day. 

“Woodchurch has some historical crime issues," said Insp. McKeon.

"Over the last three or four years, gang-related violence has become more prominent there including the use of firearms as part of factional disputes.

“When I came into this role 16 months ago it became a priority - these disputes are ongoing and involve people using firearms in anger with each other. There are innocent people like Olivia Pratt-Korbel and Rhys Jones who get caught in the crossfire of these people.

“The fire discharge back in March on Hoole Road was in the early evening, it was daylight, and there were people in the street including a child over the road who saw what happened.

“For me, the reason why I wanted the Woodchurch to be a priority is because I don’t want anything like that to happen here.”

 

In October, as part of Operation Presley, police entered the Woodchurch estate with the aim of disrupting organised crime in the area. 

Throughout a day and evening of action, police patrolled the area, focussing on proactively targeting serious and organised crime.

Officers carried out 68 stop searches which led to arrests, seized four vehicles and carried out an open land search in the area.

Inp. McKeon said: “We’ve made significant strides over the last 12 months since starting this operation.

“The same issues have been prominent for decades on that estate. Most of the firearm discharges that we see is to do with rival infractions and organised crime.

"You can look at your current organised criminality picture and you can put them all in prison or on a gang injunction but what’s going to happen to the level below them? There’s always somebody willing to step up from the younger generation.

“The cultural issues on that estate that have led to people picking up guns and being involved in organised crime are still going to exist so we need to look at what we can do to prevent that.”

Wirral Globe: Elle Edwards Elle Edwards (Image: Merseyside Police)

So are officers doing enough? The Globe spoke to one man who lives close to the Lighthouse and was actually in the pub on the evening Elle was shot and killed who believes the violence could have been prevented that night.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "When I walked in it was too busy at the bar and full of young kids in gangs so I walked out.

"This is a popular place on Christmas Eve and the moment I went in there I saw gangs of lads I didn't know. It's been going on for years now this tit for tat stuff and it was inevitable it was going to end up on someone's doorstep but I just can't understand why they were allowed to come here."

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley, who recently visited Wallasey Village with Wirral Community Policing lead, Superintendent Matthew Moscrop, to speak to the local community, added: “As part of Operation Presley – our response to targeting serious and organised criminals in Wirral – launched 12 months ago we have conducted 136 stop searches, made 64 arrests, seized £11,000 in cash, recovered 12 knives and secured two gang injunctions.

“Earlier this month (December) we welcomed the sentencing of 11 people to a total of 38 years and three months in prison following an operation targeting a Wirral organised crime group linked to large-scale drug supply.

“On 19th December a new public spaces protection order (PSPO) was introduced in Woodchurch to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime. The order is in force for three years and gives the police and authorised officers powers to issue a fixed penalty notice of up to £100 to anyone who commits an offence in the area.

Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000948723.