On a street just yards from where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead, two women are talking. One defiantly states: "If I knew anything of course I would say so, you have to when a little child is involved."
The mood in the area continues to be a mixture of shock and anger. People still can't get their head around what has happened and the heavy police presence continues to leave everyone on edge. Many have flocked to the only community space around over the past few days, keen to talk, to cry, to vent - and to pass on information.
The Drive centre has been at the heart of this community for more than two decades. Now run by the Big Help Project charity, it is based literally yards away from where Olivia was shot dead on Monday night.
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The centre has been providing an invaluable service this week, both for a stunned and scared community and for the police. Credible names and information have been passed to managers here from people who for one reason or another did not want to speak to police.
"There is a fear of retribution, I think that's the biggest thing for people," explains centre manager Joanne Kennedy. She has run The Drive for the past two years. She adds: "There are some people who are reluctant to speak to the police and they have spoken to us and we have passed that information to the police."
Joanne and the others involved with the running of the centre are keen to point out that the mind-bogglingly tragic events of this week did not come out of the blue, and say tensions have been rising in and around this area for months.
Kevin Pilnick is head of public affairs at the Big Help Project. He said: "It would be wrong to say that it's all been quiet round here for months and this just suddenly happened. There have been shooting incidents around here in recent weeks, none as tragic as this of course, but there have been people in this area who have been shot at in recent times. Those incidents have been highlighted by local community figures."
He added: "The view of people on the ground here is that there is a drugs turf war between gangs in Huyton and Dovecot. This is very much a borderlands place, it's Liverpool but it's yards from the border with Knowsley."
Joanne nods at the mention of rising tensions. It's something she - as a community leader and local resident - is all too aware of. She adds: "There has been an increase in gun violence in the area. There was a shooting in July, there was one over the road and one here on Max Road and a third shooting by Blueberry Park school in August. We have tried to raise concerns. Our area is definitely being caught in the middle of a gang turf war."
The issue of identity is an important and challenging one in these parts. The roads where The Drive centre is based and where Olivia was killed is generally described as Dovecot. But some of those living and working here have varying ideas.
Joanne says: "My nan says it's Knotty Ash, my neighbours say West Derby, others say Dovecot - I don't even really use an area when I talk about it. It can feel like a bit of a no man's land. Internally we have a good sense of community but it can feel like we are forgotten about by others."
Also sat at the table in the drive is Peter Mitchell, a city councillor for the nearby Croxteth area and Chief Executive of the Big Help Project. He agrees with the others, adding: "It's an unusual community because other than us, there really is nothing. The idea of what the community means and identity has always been a challenge here.
"You go right the way down to Princess Drive, you are coming to Huyton, Dovecot, Page Moss, then West Derby Village - they are all completely different communities. This place is right on the border and doesn't really have as strong a sense of identity as other parts of the city do. If you don't have an infrastructure to tap into that's hard, there is very little involvement from housing associations or other organisations, it is this almost forgotten part of the city. Now we're working on changing that, but it is a challenge."
Cllr Mitchell knows all too well what the brutal murder of an innocent child can do to a community. He was a key figure in helping to take Croxteth forward after the devastating shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones. It is not lost on anyone here that Olivia's death came exactly 15 years after that tragic day in Croxteth.
Cllr Mitchell says he and the others decided to open The Drive centre on Tuesday, with no real idea of what to expect. He said: "We wanted this place to be here for the community during this time. We didn't exactly know what that meant yesterday when we opened, we wanted to be open for people and they have come in for as chat and some company and others have passed on information, which we have passed on to the police."
He adds: "Is there some reticence from some people to come forward? Of course there is. They are scared and are recovering from news of a child being murdered in her own home. We would all be scared. Everybody wants these people found. Everyone who has come through the door has said they want them found, you can feel that palpably."
Cllr Mitchell says there is a need for a wider conversation about how this community has been left, as he puts it, to 'wither on the vine.' He adds: "Joanne has been making that argument for quite a while now. Concerns have been raised. But I have been uplifted by what I have seen in here this week, people coming together and supporting each other. That is community spirit in action."
In the corner of the room a number of local children are drawing and making decorations for a special tree that has been placed in the centre. On each paper leaf is a different message of love for Olivia, written by her friends, classmates and other youngsters from her community.
Joanne adds: "There have been a lot of tears in here this week, people are still in shock I think, we all are. I have a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old, I haven't told them yet what has happened, I don't want to tell them- normally they would come here for the activities, but I don't want them to see the police and ask what's going on."
One thing those running this community centre are certain about is that they will continue to be there for the people of the local area. Joanne said: "After the police and media have gone, we will still be here and we want to support the community. We will be there for anyone who needs it."
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