The number of firearms offences in England and Wales has risen in the last year, figures due from the Home Office on Thursday are expected to show.
It is believed there has been a 3% climb in gun crimes, following a 2% rise the previous year.
The statistics are also likely to show a rise in the use of imitation weapons.
But it is thought the figures, which cover the 12 months to April this year, will also show a drop in the number of shooting-related deaths.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says the murder in Nottingham of 14-year-old Danielle Beccan sparked renewed concern about levels of gun crime.
She was killed in a drive-by shooting on her way home from a funfair almost a fortnight ago.
A gun amnesty is being planned for the city and a campaign to reassure to public is being brought forward.
Earlier in the month, six people were shot in the space of an hour in London and Bristol. Two people were killed in the London incident.
Smaller rises
But despite the fear caused by the murders, the Home Office figures are set to show firearms-related deaths are comparatively rare.
Last year the number fell to 81 from 97 in the previous 12 months. This year's figure is expected to be lower still.
The small rises in gun crimes for the last two years compare with a 34% increase recorded in 2002.
In 2003, the Home Office introduced a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence for anyone caught in possession of an illegal firearm.
Government officials claimed there was anecdotal evidence from the police that the move is having a deterrent effect, but that it was too early for this to be reflected in Thursday's figures.
The statistics on imitation weapons come a day after figures emerged from a survey by police in Manchester which showed that more than 70% of callouts from the city's armed response units dealt with fake guns.
The government has previously ruled out a wholesale ban on imitation firearms, saying it was too difficult to find a legal definition for replicas.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/3761626.stm
Published: 2004/10/20 23:34:47 GMT
It is believed there has been a 3% climb in gun crimes, following a 2% rise the previous year.
The statistics are also likely to show a rise in the use of imitation weapons.
But it is thought the figures, which cover the 12 months to April this year, will also show a drop in the number of shooting-related deaths.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says the murder in Nottingham of 14-year-old Danielle Beccan sparked renewed concern about levels of gun crime.
She was killed in a drive-by shooting on her way home from a funfair almost a fortnight ago.
A gun amnesty is being planned for the city and a campaign to reassure to public is being brought forward.
Earlier in the month, six people were shot in the space of an hour in London and Bristol. Two people were killed in the London incident.
Smaller rises
But despite the fear caused by the murders, the Home Office figures are set to show firearms-related deaths are comparatively rare.
Last year the number fell to 81 from 97 in the previous 12 months. This year's figure is expected to be lower still.
The small rises in gun crimes for the last two years compare with a 34% increase recorded in 2002.
In 2003, the Home Office introduced a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence for anyone caught in possession of an illegal firearm.
Government officials claimed there was anecdotal evidence from the police that the move is having a deterrent effect, but that it was too early for this to be reflected in Thursday's figures.
The statistics on imitation weapons come a day after figures emerged from a survey by police in Manchester which showed that more than 70% of callouts from the city's armed response units dealt with fake guns.
The government has previously ruled out a wholesale ban on imitation firearms, saying it was too difficult to find a legal definition for replicas.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/3761626.stm
Published: 2004/10/20 23:34:47 GMT
