Dozens of raids were carried out by police last week as they continue to appeal for help to find the gunman who killed nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in the Dovecot area of Liverpool. The schoolgirl was fatally shot inside her home last Monday, becoming the third person in Merseyside to die of gun violence in a week. Sam Rimmer, 22, was killed in a shooting in the Dingle area on August 16, while Ashley Dale, 28, died in the back garden of a house in Old Swan on August 21. He is not believed to have been the intended victim. Merseyside Police said that in the past 24 hours officers had arrested a further 32 people as part of Operation Miller, bringing the total number of arrests to 202, as the “relentless pursuit of those involved in organized crime continues apace”. An additional 66 searches were conducted, 11 warrants were executed and eight vehicles were seized. Police previously said 58 warrants were executed at locations across Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helena. “We’re not going anywhere” Detective Chief Constable Mark Kameen, who is leading the investigations, said: “If you are involved in serious organized crime in Merseyside, we are not going anywhere anytime soon and will continue to disrupt the crime you are involved in. “The communities of Dovecot, Old Swan and Dingle are still reeling from the murders that have taken place in the areas they call home and we owe it to them to stop those involved in serious organized crime, which can lead to innocent members of our communities being seriously injured or killed ». He said the force’s resources had been “significantly boosted” by officers from across the UK – investigation, firearms and uniforms – and “we will leave no stone unturned” in the hunt for the killers of the three victims. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:35 Touching church service for Olivia “The information keeps coming in” Det Ch Supt Kameen added that information from the communities in relation to the killings continues to come in and “we are acting on all the information we receive”. Police insisted that “silence is not an option” and in a video appeal on Twitter on Sunday, the Merseyside force warned that anyone withholding information should give it up. During the clip, a voice says: “We have parents who have lost their children. “We have a nine-year-old girl who will not celebrate her 18th birthday. She will not celebrate her wedding. She won’t have children of her own. “If you have information and withhold it, you are protecting the killers. We need your information. Give us that information and we will do the rest.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:42 Sniffer dogs at Olivia’s murder scene The force said anyone with information can contact them via social media or by calling 101. You can submit CCTV, dashcam and smart doorbell videos online via mipp.police.uk. Over the weekend, police investigating Olivia’s murder released on bail two men who had been arrested and questioned on suspicion of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was a 36-year-old from Huyton and a 33-year-old from Dovecot. The 36-year-old was recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence.
