Footage captured the convoy of cars and police bikes travelling along Queens Drive this week
All week, Liverpool ECHO readers have been intrigued as to why a convoy of police vehicles was seen escorting a car through parts of the region. On Tuesday October 21, the ECHO shared footage of a number of what appeared to be police vehicles, which looked to be escorting another vehicle along Queens Drive in north Liverpool.
The footage was captured by ECHO reader Craig Jenkinson, who was passed by the convoy just before 1pm. The vehicles can be seen heading along the main thoroughfare and past St Matthew’s Catholic Church in Clubmoor.
The footage appeared to show a police motorbike leading a number of vehicles.
In total – aside from the bike – there were four vehicles in the convoy, with three of them displaying flashing blue lights. In the middle of the parade of vehicles was a black Volvo car. This appeared to be the only vehicle within the convoy that may not have been a police vehicle.
A police escort usually provides security and traffic management for individuals or groups for a number of reasons.
This can be because the person travelling is considered a VIP – such as the Prime Minister or other protected figures.
Police escorts can also be required to transport prisoners around the country – often when they are being transported between prisons or courts.
The ECHO was not immediately able to ascertain what this particular convoy was being used for, with no notable dignitaries understood to be visiting the region on Tuesday.
With this in mind, we asked our readers for help to see if anyone had spotted the collection of vehicles at other points in their journey that may help us to piece together its movements and therefore its purpose.
Several people kindly got in touch to say they had seen the convoy travelling around the region. One reader said she saw the vehicles travelling along the East Lancashire Road, close to the Showcase Cinema.
Another reader provided a very important clue for us said they saw the convoy at around 10.45am on Tuesday morning. They said at this point there were three police outriders and said they saw the vehicles going into St Anne Street Police Station on the edge of Liverpool city centre.
And a third reader got in touch to say they also saw the convoy in the morning, flanked by three motorcycle outriders, which they said were stopping numerous cars.
They added: “It was coming from the direction of Walton Prison on the main road leading up to the main roundabout on A59. I mentioned to my wife who commented on it that it may be a high security prisoner?”
Alas, the ECHO has now heard back from Merseyside Police as to the real reason for the police convoy to have been travelling in our region.
Sadly it is not quite as exciting as some had guessed, with the force confirming this was simply a training exercise.