The series of horrific gun murders this year has changed the attitude of young people in the city towards organised crime, youth workers believe.
The atrocious murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel on August 22 had a seismic impact on Merseyside, and particularly resonated with young people.
For those working with youths at risk of both being victims and perpetrators of violent crime, seeing the horrors that gang culture can create has had a significant impact. Police and other agencies were already working hard to reduce spiralling knife crime, a battle thrown into sharp focus by the murder of 12-year-old Ava White by a 14-year-old boy.
