The 'forgotten' community left devastated following the killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel
manchestereveningnews.co.ukThe 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. READ MORE : Man charged with rape and murder after 26-year-old woman is found dead "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.
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