The day after the murder of nine-year-old schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel, bosses at a nearby community centre didn't know what to expect. "We wanted this place to be here for the community during this time," said Liverpool councillor Peter Mitchell, who is also chief executive of the Big Help Project, the charity which operates The Drive centre.
"We didn't exactly know what that meant 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 told the Liverpool Echo. Merseyside Police have made two arrests in connection with Olivia's death and have been looking to the community for help.
The Drive has proved to be an important conduit for people who may not want to speak to the police to pass on information. "There is a fear of retribution, I think that's the biggest thing for people," said centre manager Joanne Kennedy.
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"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."
Some fear that the Dovecot, the area in which Olivia was killed is generally described, has become the centre of a 'drugs turf war'. Kevin Pilnick, head of public affairs at the Big Help Project, 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."
There is also a sense that the area, whose geography is disputed by some, has been 'forgotten'. Joanne said: "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."
Coun Mitchell, who represents nearby Croxteth, said: "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."
But he said the response to the tragedy has shown 'community spirit in action'. Joanne added: "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.
"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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