We all want to see safer, stronger communities where people and families can thrive.

It’s what drives my work as Merseyside’s Labour & Co-operative Party Police and Crime Commissioner and it’s a key mission for the Party.

Our police service has been neglected for many years under this Conservative government. More than a decade of austerity, compounded by a series of damaging measures designed to undermine the service, has taken its toll.

That’s why I am so pleased to welcome the Co-operative Party’s Rebuilding Policing and Criminal Justice report, which sets out a clear commitment to reversing this trend, putting policing and community safety at the top of the agenda once again.

Co-operative approaches which are focused on listening intently and working collaboratively together with our partners and our communities to rebuild trust are essential.

As Rebuilding Policing and Criminal Justice sets out, Labour & Co-operative PCCs are already delivering this approach in the regions they serve.

In Merseyside, our Violence Reduction Partnership brings wide-ranging community safety, health and education partners together to deliver targeted interventions to try and prevent serious violence. This brilliant team uses a ‘public health’ approach to serious violence – seeing it a disease which is preventable, not inevitable.

During the last year, this team has reached more than 21,000 young people, helping to support the vulnerable and prevent them from getting exploited or drawn into a life which could lead to serious violence.

I’ve also brought more than 50 partners together to commit to a Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Delivery Plan which sets out a clear ambition to protect women and girls who live, work and visit Merseyside, prevent violence, pursue offenders and ensure tackling VAWG is prioritised and treated with urgency.

The strategy includes 57 straight-forward, achievable actions which all agencies can deliver to help eradicate VAWG.

As part of this critical work, I’ve also collaborated with our partners to relaunch our region’s Modern Slavery Network. Modern slavery is real and it’s happening in our neighbourhoods right now.

Awareness and understanding has been gradually on the rise, but it isn’t enough. We need to do more to stop this horrific crime from happening and provide support to the services that are helping victims and survivors every single day, so I’m pleased to see a clear focus on preventing and tackling the scourge of Modern Slavery within this report.

Another great example of how Labour & Co-operative PCCs are already working hard to gain the support, involvement and engagement of our communities, is through ‘participatory budgeting’ events in key areas which have been blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.

This approach gives local communities a greater voice in how money is used to tackle issues in their areas. I’m proud that in Merseyside we are using the money stripped from criminals for the event – putting it back where it belongs, in our grassroots communities.

Merseyside is showing that co-operative approaches really work – delivering for local people and building trust and confidence in our police service.