‘Be the change’ project hopes to steer women and girls away from those involved in serious and organised crime
The mum of murdered Ashley Dale has delivered an urgent message to women and girls in Merseyside as a new project hopes to steer them away from those involved in serious and organised crime. Ashley was just 28 when she was shot dead with a machine gun in her own home in the early hours of August 21, 2022 and a subsequent 2023 trial at Liverpool Crown Court saw the murder convictions of James Witham, Joseph Peers, Niall Barry and Sean Zeisz.
Ashley’s murder came during a horrific six day period in Merseyside which saw 22-year-old Sam Rimmer shot dead in Dingle five days earlier, followed less than 48 later by the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, aged nine, in Dovecot. In response to the spate of violence, a number of initiatives were launched to try mitigate the effects of these horrific incidents and work to prevent them from ever happening again.
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One of the most high profile of these interventions is the newly launched ‘Be the Change’ (BTC) project which is funded by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP) and aims to educate and support women and girls to recognise and reduce the perceived attraction of becoming involved with organised criminals. One of the delivery vehicles for BCT is Knowsley’s Council’s Crime and Communities team who will be working to highlight the opportunities available to women and girls and educate them on the dangers of forming relationships with those involved in organised crime – to themselves, their families and the wider community.
Provision will include education campaigning on healthy relationships, wellness classes for new and expectant mums and challenging ‘apathetic attitudes’ towards individuals in criminal gangs. Knowsley Council hosted the first BCT-related meeting which was attended by a wide range of different partners, agencies and invited guests at Court Hey Park.
Among the attendees and speakers was Ashley’s mum, Julie Dale who was introduced as the inspiration behind ‘Be the Change’ and helped inform what provision should be made available and what message it is sending to the women in Merseyside. Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: “I think previously when it comes to discussing serious violence and serious and organised crime the tendency has been to focus on males. Females have not always been taken into consideration.
“I think some of the tragic events in recent years has now brought that into sharp focus. We want women and girls in Knowsley to understand the consequences of being connected with individuals or groups involved in serious and organised crime but also to raise their aspirations and highlight the alternative choices they can make.”
