Migrant care workers in Merseyside say they no longer feel safe going to work because they are continually facing attacks and racially-motivated abuse from primary school children in Stockbridge Village. Staff employed by the Merseyside company Caring Connections have told the ECHO they are still being abused when they visit clients on Knowsley's Stockbridge Village estate, months after the situation was first exposed.
Merseyside Police says it takes hate crimes seriously and has "comprehensively investigated" previous reports in this area.
Abuse from children as young as nine
One migrant worker, who has been caring for vulnerable people in Merseyside for several years, told the ECHO the abuse is coming from children as young as nine years old, who are wearing primary school uniforms. He said: "The young kids are involved now. Some are even as young as nine and 10. They go to the local primary school."
"Last week an incident happened to me as I was walking to my client's house, I saw young children coming from school in their uniform. They were calling me names and pointing and shouting at me. I tried to ignore them."
He added: "The harassment is becoming too much now, it is not good. It is making carers feel unsafe and fear for our lives. If this continues a lot of my colleagues are demanding to move them off Stockbridge Village."
Racist abuse and fear for safety
"It is racist. There are other white British people around and it is not happening to them. The kids are pointing at me. I feel humiliated. It is very bad for a community that such young people are being racist. It does not make me feel safe anymore," he said.
The same care worker, who is from Nigeria, spoke to the ECHO back in June and revealed he had been threatened with a replica gun, with insults and abuse focusing on his race as he travels between clients he is caring for around the estate. He said this abuse has continued in recent weeks for him and his colleagues, but they have stopped reporting incidents because they have not seen enough of a response from the police.
"When we call 999 we don't feel we get a response from them. Or we get a statement taken and get no feedback. So now people don't see the point in it," the care worker said. "I am very sure if we were the people doing these things, our name would be the first thing on the news and people would be shouting 'kick them out'."
He added: "Last week a colleague was attacked, she is so scared. It is getting too much. Carers are saving the lives of people, who is going to save the lives of the carers."
Chief executive calls for action
Paul Growney is the chief executive of Caring Connections and is deeply concerned by the attacks and abuse his staff are experiencing in the Stockbridge Village area. He said: "I thought things had settled down a bit after the previous ECHO report because we hadn't been getting any reports. I assumed all the work we did, the kind of exposure you guys did on it, I thought it had settled down."
"But this week, we've been doing a bit of work with two of our staff who were looking back at what happened over the last year and they just said you know, 'It's not stopped'. I was asking why they hadn't told us and they just said they had been disappointed in the response from the police when they had previously reported things. One guy who spoke to the ECHO previously about attacks and abuse, he said he went into the station to report it and then nothing came back."
Speaking about the abuse his staff are still regularly facing, Mr Growney added: "They are telling us this is often coming from little kids. They say it is often the same kids, calling them horrible names, threatening them, riding their bikes at them. Sadly I think these guys are just sort of feeling as though they have to accept this abuse now. But one of them told me recently their family is scared for them to go to work and whether they will come home. It is horrible."
Mr Growney added: "It feels like this is a bit more accepted in our society now. People are behaving as if this is some sort of patriotic act, abusing these people."
Police response and how to report
Responding to these reports, Merseyside Police Neighbourhood Inspector Dave Hassett said: "Any information about hate crime in our communities is a concern, so we will be in touch with Caring Connections to provide reassurance to staff, and to gather any details which might allow us to investigate these allegations."
"Previous reports have been comprehensively investigated and when reports are made, we will do all we can to gather the best evidence and identify those responsible. This is why it is absolutely vital that incidents are reported to police immediately. Receiving information at a later date, or through a third-party, can make our efforts to bring offenders to justice more challenging."
"I'd continue to encourage anyone in Stockbridge Village affected by hate crime and other issues to get in touch, whether you are a victim, witness or a concerned resident. If you do not want to speak to police, for whatever reason, support organisations can help so please reach out to the services available, to provide us with an accurate picture of all issues, and allow us to allocate our resources as effectively as possible."
Anyone with information on a hate crime in their area can contact police via Facebook and X at @MerPolCC, or call 101. Reports can also be made via the Merseyside Police website. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. As part of the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner's Victim Care Merseyside service, specialist support services are available, accessible via the Victim Care website or by calling freephone 0808 175 3080. Alternatively, the independent charity Stop Hate UK can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0800 138 1625, via webchat at stophateuk.org/report-here/, or through its hate crime reporting app on the App store and Google Play store.
