Dear members — welcome to our first ever members-only story on The Post. We are so delighted with how many of you have signed up already, and we hope you enjoy hearing from us four times a week.

Today’s story is about Merseyside’s crime gangs, and specifically the young people they recruit to do their dirty work. As we all know, local news in Liverpool and across this region is dominated by crime coverage, much of it based on police announcements and individual cases that come to trial. But one of our big priorities is to publish stories that connect the dots a bit, and provide more context about what is driving the developments in the news. We think today’s story, which is based on a trip Mollie made to a recent conference and an interview she did with a local academic, is a good example of that approach.

Just to explain: Members-only editions of The Post will usually go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, although sometimes the schedule will change if a story is running over or another d…