Merseyside's leaders have penned an open letter to say "no more" to gun and gang crime in the city region.
Leaders of Liverpool City Region have issued a clear message following a spate of violent crime which resulted in the deaths of three people including nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Olivia was shot at her home in Dovecot by a stray bullet from a gunman chasing 35-year-old convicted criminal Joseph Nee.
Nee saw Olivia's mum, 46-year-old Cheryl Korbel, open her front door to see what was happening and took the chance to barge through trying to escape, tragically leading the killer to her door. The gunman forced his way inside and fired, hitting Ms Korbel in the arm and Olivia in the chest. Olivia died of her injuries at nearby Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
READ MORE: Dad of three knew he'd 'lose everything' by chatting to 'underage' girl
Olivia's murder was the culmination of an extreme week of gun violence that had already claimed the lives of 22-year-old mechanic Sam Rimmer and 28-year-old civil servant Ashley Dale. Mr Rimmer was shot dead in Lavrock Bank, Dingle on August 16 after two men on an electric bike fired a volley of shots at him and his friends.
Miss Dale was gunned down in her own home on August 21 after a gunman forced her front door and fire multiple shots "indiscriminately". Miss Dale was spotted collapsed in the back yard of her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan by neighbours who raised the alarm.
A number of arrests have been made in all three cases but as of yet there have been no charges. And now Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, the Mayor of Liverpool and the leaders of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral Councils have issued a joint statement.
The leaders once again called for help in identifying the killers urging people to "speak up, do the right thing, and show clearly that you will not tolerate this kind of terror". The statement read: "We ask those of you who do know something, can you really have it on your conscience if you don't come forward?
"Can you live with the fact these young people have lost their lives because of criminal activity which they had no involvement, and you stayed quiet? Now is not the time for silence and it is never the time to protect people who are prepared to invade innocent people's homes and leave them dying.
"We very much hope that, with the support of our communities, the police will get the information they need to apprehend these murderers and see them face justice."
The leaders also pleaded for these murders to be the catalyst that will see the end of the organised drug crime in the region. They wrote: "Many of us will know someone whose life had been impact by drugs...but do you ever think about the wider consequences?
"If ever there was a time to consider those consequences - it's now as we watch families and communities mourn these recent tragic losses. This is the impact on ordinary people of the drug trade and organised crime. Ordinary law-abiding citizens of the Liverpool City Region who simply want to raise their families and live their lives in a place of safety.
"Innocent children with their whole lives ahead of them. Make no mistake, the drug trade is at the heart of what has happened recently and is a root cause of much of the anti-social behaviour and criminality that can blight our communities."
The statement later said: "The killing of Olivia, Ashley and Sam - three innocent victims - has to represent a line in the sand. It is time for us all to come together and say no more." The leaders added: "We know organised crime can't be eradicated by people power alone but it can be disrupted and weakened.
"There are steps we can take, we can make the drug sellers feel less welcome in our communities, we can strengthen the message to our children about the dangers of using drugs, we can think much more carefully about the people who we choose to associate with, and we can ensure our actions do not contribute in any way to fuelling an industry which ruins lives."
The leaders finished "our people deserve better and our children deserve to grow up without fear. If you are involved in the drug trade and organised crime you are not welcome here".
"No more drugs. No more turning a blind eye. No more innocent lives lost or ruined."
READ NEXT:
Drug dealer who taunted police linked to gun used in spate of shootings
Dad choked to death in flat after woman spotted crawling naked and covered in blood
Detectives given 36 more hours to question three men in Olivia murder probe
Hunt for nine 'linked series' guns and how Merseyside is tracking gangs
