MP calls for urgent meeting with police as more gang violence erupts in one part of Toxteth
10:42, 13 Dec 2025Updated 10:42, 13 Dec 2025
A large police cordon remains in place today (Saturday December 13) after a shooting incident in Thame Street in Toxteth
Locals are living in fear of bullets flying into their homes or hitting them in the street after a third shooting in the same area in just six months. The Toxteth community is reeling again this morning after yet more gun violence erupted in their local community.
On Friday (December 12) afternoon, just before 4pm, armed police descended on Thames Street in the Liverpool 8 neighbourhood following reports that a man on a bike had shot at three people.
Merseyside Police said the suspect and those he was shooting at left the area as an investigation was launched and a large area of Kingsley Road and Thames Street itself was cordoned off.
The cordon remains in place this morning with police officers guarding either end. The cordon includes a local shop, Newsagent Convenience Store, which is closed this morning.
This is the third shooting incident in this small part of Toxteth since June, leaving locals frightened of the dangers of what appears to be escalating gang-related violence.
On October 5, gunshots from someone in a car were aimed wildly at a man on foot who was being chased. One of the bullets crashed through the window of a family home on Kingsley Road, thankfully not hitting anyone inside.
Roughly four months prior to that incident, another shooting took place on almost exactly the same spot in Kingsley Road. On that occasion residents said they heard nine shots, with a vehicle damaged by bullets.
In March, a mass brawl at the junction of Granby Street and Eversley Street resulted in a man being stabbed in the chest. In July, a suspected arson attack saw a major fire started when petrol was deliberately poured onto a house in Carlingford Close and spread to a neighbouring property after being lit.
For those living in this community, enough is enough.
A large police cordon remains in place today (Saturday December 13) after a shooting incident in Thame Street in Toxteth
One man, who lives directly next to where the current cordon is in place in Kingsley Road, told the ECHO this morning that local people are sick of the violence and worried about being caught up in it.
The man, who did not want to be named, said: “It is a very risky area, every month it is coming back the same. All the time this is a problem.”
He has lived in the road for more than two years but said the last year and the past few months in particular have been very worrying.
He added: “It is gangs, gangs are shooting all the time. I have children here. We don’t feel safe. It is all drug dealers. We can’t even go to the shop. It is always happening in this area.”
He said he wants to see more from the police in trying to address the gang violence that is blighting people’s lives, adding: “The police don’t do anything, they just close the road and then they go, and they (the gangs) come back tomorrow.
“Everyone is scared. I want the police to do more, that is why they keep coming back because they don’t do anything.”
Another man who was attempting to make his way to the convenience store within the cordon said: “A couple of weeks ago there was a shooting around here and the bullet went into a guy’s van who lives around here.
“It looks like it is getting worse. It is annoying, because every time you come out there is a cordon up and you have to go all around it.
“It is just idiots who think they are gangsters. It is dangerous.”
Another local resident also expressed frustration with the police, telling the ECHO: “The fact that the police failed to stop a third shooting in the area is a massive failure. They’ve let this community down. I want to see Emily Spurrell and the chief inspector organise a community meeting and telling us what they are doing.”
Kim Johnson, the Member of Parliament for the area says she will now be requesting an urgent meeting with police chiefs and the local community so that people can be aware of what action is being taken. She said this is important so people don’t lose confidence in the force.
Ms Johnson told the ECHO: “It is extremely concerning for people who live in this area because we know what can happen through the actions of inconsiderate, violent youths, who have no regard for their local community.
“This is becoming far too regular and I will be contacting Merseyside Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask for a meeting with the local community, we need to know what action is being taken.”
“There are young people gaining access to these deadly weapons and we know organised crime is behind this and it is having a big impact on the community and on people’s confidence in the police.”
Merseyside Police has appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.
Inspector Matthew Farmer said: “We are in the very early stages of an investigation into this incident and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed what happened on Thames Street, saw the man on a pedal bike shortly after, or has any information which could help us with our ongoing enquiries to come forward.”
If you have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage or information about this incident, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also report information via the website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call with log number 672 of Friday 12 December.