On February 4, 2026, Sefton Council updated the Safer Sefton Together community safety portal to provide new ways for people in Bootle, Merseyside, to report crime and find support. The update adds dedicated sections to help residents deal with Serious Organised Crime, Modern Slavery and Domestic Abuse.
The Safer Sefton Together partnership, which includes Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, the National Probation Service and other local partners, says the new tools are intended to help people who may be unable or afraid to make a phone call. According to Sefton Council’s Safer Sefton Together announcement, residents can access encrypted online reporting forms and a live-chat service to speak with specialist advisers and report concerns about their neighbourhood.
The update is part of the Safer Sefton Together Strategy 2023–2026, which sets priorities to protect vulnerable people and improve community safety across the borough. The portal includes resources to help the public identify forms of exploitation such as ‘cuckooing’—where criminals take over a person’s home to use it for illegal activity—and to report concerns.
Sefton Council said the goal is to ensure no resident feels they have to live in the shadow of serious crime. The portal update also aligns with national neighbourhood policing reforms embodied in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, a UK-wide push to restore named, contactable officers and improve local ways for residents to contact authorities for help.
For more information, see Sefton Council’s Safer Sefton Together pages and the Safer Sefton Together Strategy 2023–2026.
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