Merseyside Police are investigating after video footage emerged appearing to show a group of men swinging long sticks or poles at young beachgoers — including teenage boys and girls — during disturbances at Crosby Beach on Bank Holiday Monday.
The approximately 14-second clip, which spread rapidly on social media, shows chaotic scenes on the sandy beach near the boating lake. Several men are seen aggressively swinging what appear to be long poles or sticks at a group of younger people wearing beachwear, who are seen running and scattering across the sand. The footage was filmed during the busy bank holiday afternoon when Crosby Beach drew large crowds in the record-breaking heat.
Officers were called to the scene at around 5.50pm following reports of a disturbance. A 19-year-old woman sustained a graze to her head and a small superficial scratch to her arm, believed to have been caused by a bladed weapon. She was taken to hospital for assessment and later discharged. A 16-year-old boy from Litherland was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He has since been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.
Detective Inspector Edward Barr confirmed police were aware of the social media footage and were actively working to identify everyone involved. “I am aware of social media videos which appear to show other persons swinging weapons towards people at the location,” he said. “We are making efforts to identify all of the people involved and establish whether this is connected.” He urged members of the public to come forward through official channels rather than speculating on social media, warning that doing so “can jeopardise our investigation at a later date.”
DI Barr added: “We are always completely committed to responding swiftly to any information we receive about the possession and use of weapons to assault or threaten people in our communities.”
Merseyside Police have not released any description of the individuals seen in the stick footage in their public statements, and said all information received would be “thoroughly assessed and actioned as appropriate.” The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police on 101 quoting incident reference 26000414488, via X or Facebook @MerPolCC, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
