http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=366560
from The Independent
from The Independent
8,000 a year: serious gun crime doubles under Labour
By Andy McSmith and Sophie Goodchild
05 January 2003
Crimes involving guns have almost doubled since Labour came to power. Shocking figures to be published later this week will reveal that more than 8,000 gun crimes were committed in the past year.
This latest grim statistic will push gun crime to the top of the political agenda following a week in which two teenage girls in Birmingham became the latest victims of Britain's growing culture of gun violence. Yesterday, the mother of Latisha Shakespear wept as she laid a bouquet of flowers at the scene of her daughter's murder. Post mortem results revealed that the teenager died from a gunshot wound to her chest while her friend Charlene Ellis died from a gunshot wound to the head.
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, will tell MPs tomorrow that he is introducing a minimum five-year prison sentence for possession of illegal firearms. Currently there is no minimum sentence. On Friday, he will convene a conference of senior police officers, customs officials, the Crown Prosecution Service, immigration officials and community representatives to step up the campaign against what the Home Office sees as largely a "black-on-black" crime.
In 1997-98, there were just over 4,900 recorded crimes in England and Wales involving the use of guns, other than air weapons. The figure had climbed to 7,362 for the year ending April 2001. Home Office sources have indicated privately that 2001-02 statistics will show an increase along the same lines as previous years. A regional breakdown of the figures show that gun crime is overwhelmingly an inner-city phenomenon. In 2001-02 guns were used to kill 73 people, half of them in London or Manchester.
A survey for The Independent on Sunday shows an increase of nearly 23 per cent in offences involving firearms. This figure is based on statistics from 11 police forces.
© 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
