From the clashes between organised crime families in the 1990s to the murder of Rhys Jones in 2007 and now the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt- Korbel, Liverpool has long been associated with gun crime.
At the heart of the violence is the struggle for drugs turf, control of the weapons trade and ultimately a quest for power and respect.
Such street battles are common in urban hotspots across the country. However, criminals in other areas have often struggled to get hold of handguns, resorting to refashioning antique weapons or moving to knives to settle disputes. In Liverpool, the dominant gangs have not been troubled by such shortages.
Police point to a variety of reasons. One is geography. There are strong historical links between Liverpool
