Gee Walker and The Bill actor, Andrew Lancel back new Merseyside Police gun and knife crime initiative

Jun 25 2009 by Tina Miles, Maghull and Aintree Star

Gee Walker and The Bill actor, Andrew Lancel are backing the new Merseyside Police/church community initiative to fight gun and knife crime

MERSEYSIDE Police is joining forces with churches in a new front on the war against gun and knife crime.

Five thousand people packed the ECHO Arena to help launch “Redeeming Our Communities”.

Special guests included murdered Anthony Walker’s mum Gee and The Bill actor, Andrew Lancel.

The event establishes new links between Merseyside Police and the Christian church network City Links, which has had success with the scheme in Manchester.

Under the initiative, 37 neighbourhood inspectors will be linked directly to church communities in a bid to work more closely.

The show featured a performance by Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists, MD Productions.

They performed a piece called “They don’t Care About Us” highlighting the dangers posed by guns and knives.

Gee Walker founded the Anthony Walker Foundation to promote racial harmony and diversity through sport, music and education following her son’s murder in Huyton in July 2005.

She said: “Young people always get such a bad press. It’s amazing and reassuring to think that things like this reach them and eventually make a change in their lives.

“I hope the message spills out into the community.”