The former chief constable of Merseyside Police, Andy Cooke, recently said that if he were given £5bn to cut crime, he would put £1bn into law enforcement and £4bn into tackling poverty and increasing opportunity. ‘The solution is building the opportunities for young people, and levelling up the playing field,’ he told the Guardian. ‘It’s such an unequal playing field we have at the moment with job prospects, and with opportunities for the future. There’s got to be some levelling up.’

Cooke was succeeded by Serena Kennedy, who took up the role on 12 April 2021. She is the first woman to lead Merseyside Police.