You may be aware of Stagecoach recently diverting buses in the Kirkby area. This is due to recent incidents and reports of vandalism and criminal damage caused by young people/children aimed at buses.

The most recent incident was on Tuesday 26 January and resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old who was also accompanied by a younger child. Prior to this, on Saturday 16 January, a brick was thrown through a bus window resulting in a mother and her young baby being showered in glass.

In response to these unacceptable incidents Knowsley Council, Merseyside Police, Merseytravel, and Stagecoach are working together to identify those responsible. As the recent arrest demonstrates they are taking these issues seriously and will continue to work together to employ tactics to tackle the issues head on, including; police operations using both marked and unmarked police cars, Police Officers travelling on various buses, and making use of the extensive Council CCTV network across Kirkby.

As a Collaborative of schools we ask, do you know where your children are and what they are doing?

Particularly now when we are currently in a national lockdown with the advice to stay at home as much as possible, unless it is for essential reasons such as getting to and from work or school.

The actions of a minority has resulted in Stagecoach cancelling its services on occasions. This impacts on the wider community and those residents who are key workers and rely on public transport to get to and from work or to attend medical appointments.

There are a number of ways you can share information:

In an emergency call 999.

Alternatively, call 101 or report to Merseyside Police online - www.merseyside.police.uk

Via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their website - https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

With your help we can tackle these issues together, help create better and safer communities, and we thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely

The 14 Headteachers of the Kirkby Collaborative of Schools