Rhys Jones: Liverpool schoolchildren no longer feel safe going outside

Feb 22 2008 by Haydon Wood, Liverpool Daily Post

MARIA EAGLE, MP for Liverpool Garston and now a Minister for Justice, has visited many high schools over recent months and says children are fearful of going out after Rhys’s murder.

“Some schools I have visited have been in deprived areas and others single sex and middle class, but what is striking is how all the children share common concerns.

“They do not feel safe outside and many will go straight home after school and just go on websites like Facebook or Bebo instead of playing outside.

“Most children mentioned Rhys Jones’s murder when talking about this, and the fact his killer is still out there.

“If an individual child did say they felt brave enough to go out, they also said their parents would not let them because they had safety concerns themselves. These children live in south Liverpool and so it shows how the murder has had a profound effect on youngsters living all over the city.

“It also shows how young people are the victims of gangs and street violence, when often characterised as the ones causing the trouble.

“To address this, we need to talk to children more about their fears and reassure them.

“Obviously Rhys’s death was a terrible incident, but I do not think it is a reflection of the safety of Liverpool as a whole – it is a safe place to live.”