Southport families ‘pushed us forward’ – lead detective

“I have seen many tears shed over this whole issue, not only in policing, but from professionals as well.”

These are the words of the man charged with the enormous responsibility of leading the investigation into the Southport stabbing attack that killed nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguirre; Seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Babe King.

It was approaching 13:00 BST on 29 July when Det Ch Inspector Jason Pye heard the news.

The highly experienced detective was dealing with another case at Liverpool Crown Court when he received a call about what had happened at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Hart Street.

An hour earlier, Axel Rudakubana had walked into the Heart Space dance studio systematically stabbing one child after another.

Rudakubana politely vented his anger by throwing down his kitchen knife in front of the police and without saying anything to the people around him.

But by then three children had died, eight children and two adults were seriously injured and 15 other children had suffered unimaginable trauma.

Det Ch Inspector Pye said on Monday it had been “six long months” until that moment when Rudakubana surprised everyone by changing his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial.

For much of that time, and in the full glare of the international media, his investigation team and the wider Merseyside police force witnessed and heard the most harrowing evidence of their collective career.

He said, “Yes this is our job, we have extended our hand to do it.”

“We never expected to wake up in the morning and see something like this happen, but none of those 26 kids or their families or adults did.”

Acknowledging the seriousness of the case, Det Ch Insp Pye said: “It is difficult.

“It’s hard for people who constantly see certain details, and who have to read it constantly, and not just within policing…

“But it is family and justice that helps us move forward day by day.”

The exceptionally horrific nature of Rudakubana’s crimes has caused several officers on the force to take sick leave.

“I know there are some police officers who are still struggling and are off duty right now because of what they’ve been exposed to and what they’ve seen,” he said.

The horrific details of Rudakubana’s crimes were just part of the enormous pressure placed on Merseyside Police last summer.

Less than 48 hours after he was taken to Copy Lane police station, horrific details of the crimes – coupled with misinformation about the killer’s identity and background – sparked violence in the streets.

The evening following the murders was described by the force’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy as “one of the worst nights of my career”.

More than 100 officers and police staff were injured as the violence erupted, first in Southport, then in Liverpool city center and Walton.

Some of those conscripted were also called up to fight rioters who threw missiles and damaged police vehicles after the massacre on July 29.

For detectives focused on uncovering the truth of what happened, the devastation on the streets was absolutely shocking.

Det Ch Insp Pye said: “It was going very, very fast until we charged him.

“He was arrested around 12am on Monday (July 29) and with the extension the maximum time I could get was 72 hours, so we had to charge him just after midnight on Wednesday.

“To see and see those riots inside the community where these three little girls lost their lives and the way everyone else was affected was really distasteful to us, it was difficult to understand why it was happening, “And it had a real impact on families, too.”

For Det Ch Insp Pye, the job of the 80-strong team of detectives was to control the unfolding mayhem and get on with the task at hand.

According to Det Ch Insp Pye, identifying and detaining the killer did not require any painstaking investigative work – it was “easy work”.

“The difficult part is what I classify as all this noise that’s going around,” he said.

“We have to assess the noise, we have to see if we need to bring it in clearly, so that’s what’s difficult, that’s what has made the investigation complicated, not the actual evidence.

“If I’m honest, I’ve tried to stay off social media and stay away from conspiracy theories, but as an investigation team we have to be aware of it, if there’s anything we need to get involved in.” ” Test.”

The most important thing is now accomplished – Rudakubana has confessed to every crime against him and will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

For Det Ch Insp Pye, now is the time when the saddest parts of his career can come to light.

“Now that we’ve (got justice) and now things have stabilized a little bit – maybe this is the time we need – to reflect and consider the welfare of all our officers,” he said.