Merseyside Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward
An aerial view of Kirkby(Image: Google Maps)
Racist and ‘hateful’ graffiti was sprayed onto bus shelters and street furniture in Kirkby. Officers were on patrol in the area of Spinney Road and South Boundary Road at around 11.45am on Sunday, November 30, when they noticed the “deplorable” graffiti on several bus shelters and street furniture.
The graffiti is in the process of being removed by Knowsley Council, police said. CCTV and witness enquiries are being carried out to identify the suspect responsible, and detectives are urging anyone with information which could assist with their investigation to come forward.
Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “We will not tolerate racist and hateful graffiti being committed in our community and we are carrying out enquiries to find the perpetrators.
“This is not only criminal damage, but it spreads hatred in the community. This hateful behaviour is deplorable.
“I would appeal to residents and motorists to check CCTV, doorbell and dashcam footage to see if it has captured the suspects in the act.
“If you were in the area before 11.45am yesterday morning please check your footage, or anyone who may have information which could help us find those responsible to come forward.
“We have a specialist team of officers who are dedicated to investigating any form of hate crime, and will actively look into all reports we receive and proactively investigate to bring offenders to justice.
“We will take the strongest possible action against those who have behaved in this unacceptable way.”
Anyone with information on the incident should contact the Merseyside Police social media desk @MerPolCC on X and Facebook quoting log reference 25000977680.
You can also report information via the police website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here.