Some members of the gangs have posted the fights on social media
A general view of London Road, with Norton Street on the right(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Gangs of youths are brawling in Liverpool city centre with flick knives and poles and posting it all on social media. Proposals are being laid down for a crackdown on large groups gathering by Liverpool Council amid the “persistent” increase in young people committing acts of anti-social behaviour since 2024.
A new report going before the city’s highways and public spaces representation committee said how groups of youths, on occasion up to 150 at a time, had been repeatedly reported by the public. Businesses said they had been targeted by youths committing anti-social behaviour and theft offences.
At Liverpool ONE alone, more than 400 incidents of ASB were recorded since January last year. Some fear retribution if they attempt to challenge or report the disruption.
A written statement from the city centre’s neighbourhood police inspector has laid bare the stark reality of the challenge and how social media streams are fuelling the chaos. Jack Woodward has been in post since January 2023.
He wrote in a witness statement to the council’s highways and public spaces representation committee how those committing offences in the city centre have been verified as not either living or working in the area. Instead, groups are travelling across Merseyside and the wider North West region to commit anti-social behaviour and various other forms of crime in the area.
Among these issues according to Insp Woodward include unprovoked attacks on members of the community while going about their daily business. He wrote: “Incidents have also been often targeted against local businesses, with youths committing anti-social behaviour and theft shop offences.
“When challenged this has then resulted in retail and security workers being subject to verbal and physical abuse and on occasion being threatened with weapons, such as poles, knives, and machetes.” To combat this, the city council proposes to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which would ban large groups gathering in town or covering their faces for anything other than religious or cultural reasons.
Intelligence has also shown how youths are using apps like TikTok and Snapchat to capture what is going on. Insp Woodward set out in his witness statement how posts inform other groups of youths and young people of incidents which are pre-planned or ongoing, allowing them to mobilise quickly.
He added how, through open-source research, youths and young people in their 20s are posting videos showing them to be concealing their faces, in possession of weapons such as flick knives and actively fighting and threatening other groups of youths in the city centre. This results in the footage being widely shared, including an Instagram video from February 2025 where a boy is seen in posession of a knife.
According to TikTok, community guidelines do not allow violent or criminal behaviour on the platform. This includes threats, glorifying violence, or promoting crimes that could harm people or property.
London Road, Liverpool(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
The platform also engages with police forces internationally to ensure safety for users, with more than 98% of videos breaching community guidelines proactively removed before they were reported. Merseyside Police have recorded incidents and offences occurring between 4pm and 11pm in the city, peaking between 6pm and 9pm, more commonly on weekends.
Insp Woodward said there are growing concerns from members of the public and local businesses who have advised officers of feeling “alarmed, harassed, and intimidated.” He said members of the public are failing to report incidents due to fear of retribution and concerns of being targeted or attacked by those responsible should they be seen to engage with police.
The city council, Liverpool ONE, the Liverpool BID Company and St Johns Shopping Centre have all registered their concerns about this ongoing behaviour. City Centre security teams have reported being fearful of being victims of serious assaults due to weapons being sighted and their colleagues having been attacked just for keeping the area safe.
Large retailers have reported that customers are feeding back that the city centre is not a safe place due to the serious violence offences which have been seen taking place and due to youths concealing their faces with balaclavas and other facial coverings, creating a feeling of fear and intimidation. In Liverpool One, 78 incidents of youth related violence were recorded, 10 including weapons and 18 occurrences where security teams were abused.
Incidents were also recorded including a group of youths using lighters and deodorant cans to attempt to set fire to a bus stop outside Matalan at Queen Square. Insp Woodward said there was an older individual in this group in his early twenties, who was influencing the behaviour of the younger members.
Liverpool ONE(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers have also been assaulted and subject to racial and homophobic abuse. During a single week in March last year, several consecutive days of dispersal authorisations were granted in response to increasing reports of youths fighting.
On some reported occasions groups being up to 50 in number with their faces concealed by balaclavas and being in possession of weapons were reported. Several individuals were arrested after being found in possession of weapons and there were numerous calls of youths committing general anti-social behaviour within the locality by businesses, residents, and visitors to the City Centre.
Two months later, groups of up to 150 were again seen fighting in town. Some incidents recorded up to 50 people with their faces concealed by balaclavas and being in possession of weapons. Several individuals were arrested as a result of these powers after being found in possession of weapons and there were numerous calls of youths committing general anti-social behaviour by businesses, residents, and visitors.
During this period 138 individuals were issued with dispersal notices by police in the city centre and parents and/or guardians were written to in response to try and increase parental awareness and responsibility. Vape shops are also becoming a “particular draw” for young people, Insp Woodward said, resulting in hotspot locations being identified around these premises.
In response, teams have worked closely with Trading Standards to target several shops who have been suspected of selling vapes to underage children and/or been facilitating anti-social behaviour in the area. It is proposed the restricted area under the PSPO would include William Brown Street, London Road, Seymour Street, Russell Street, Clarence Street, Rodney Street, Upper Duke Street, Great George Street, Nelson Street, Bridgewater Street, Chaloner Street, Queens Wharf, Kings Parade, Mann Island, George Parade, St. Nicholas Place, Chapel Street, Tithebarn Street, Great Crosshall Street and Byrom Street.
A decision is due to be made by Liverpool Council officials next week. Snapchat declined to comment. The ECHO approached Instagram’s parent company, Meta, for comment.