Debra visits Riverforce at Police HQ
Debra was invited to speak at the Riverforce event at Liverpool Police Headquarters on 12th March 2009.
Early in 2006, Peter Owens, Chief Inspector of the Occupational Health Unit at Merseyside police and a leading member of the Merseyside Christian Police Association, planted a church at work, known as Riverforce.
(Pictured L to R: Peter Owens, Debra Green, Denise Ashworth).
Deputy Chief Constable Bernard Lawson spoke about why the Redeeming Our Communities event is happening in Merseyside. He visited the Redeeming Our Communities event in Manchester in June 2008 and asked Debra to bring the initiative into Merseyside. As a result the Liverpool Launch took place on 16th June 2009 in the Echo Arena.
Debra spoke about the impact that the project has already had in Manchester. The main example she gave was from the June 2008 event in Manchester when the main topic was crime reduction and for Manchester to no longer be known as Gunchester. She read out the below article that was published in the Manchester Evening News on 29th January 2009.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:
David Ottewell
Manchester Evening News Headlines 29/ 1/2009
MANCHESTER is on the brink of shedding its 'Gunchester' image for good after the astonishing success of a crackdown on the city's gangs.
Only THREE shots were fired by gangsters between Valentine's Day in February and December 31 last year compared to more than 10 times as many in 2007.
It is the first time since the height of Manchester's bloody street warfare in the early 1990s that entire months have passed in places like Moss Side without the sound of gunfire.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will today travel to Manchester to hail the city's progress as an example to the rest of Britain - and pledge extra cash so the work can continue.
It is exactly a year since the last fatal gang-related shooting in Greater Manchester - which prompted police to launch the crackdown, called Operation Cougar.
The total number of gunshots in the Metropolitan and Trafford divisions - the heart of gangland - fell from 62 in Feb-Dec 2007 to 19 in Feb-Dec 2008. The number that were gang-related dropped from 38 to three. " MEN 29-01-09
It was a very successful conference as more people were introduced to the project and became very enthuastic about what is happening in Merseyside.
To watch the Highlights of the June event please follow this Link:
June 2008 Highlights
To Watch the highlights of June 16th 2009 Click here
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