JANUARY 2011 - REVIEW

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Gun Crime Figures - During January two sets of figures for gun crime in England and Wales were published.  Both indicated that gun crime is continuing to fall.  The more detailed figures reveal an annual drop of 9% in the number of offences for all firearms (including air weapons) to 12,995 recorded crimes during the year to March 2010.  The other data show a fall of 6% for gun crime not involving air weapons for the year ending September 2010.  Within the detailed data there were some increases, including for offences resulting in injury (up 5%) and offences involving imitation weapons (up 1%), but both these categories had shown large falls in the previous year and were still down significantly from 2007/08.  There was a welcome fall of 12% in offences involving handguns, although it remains likely the data include many that will have involved imitation weapons, something which is suggested by the frequency with which weapons used in armed robberies, described at the time of the incident as handguns, are later identified as imitations.   GCN notes that the recorded use of shotguns decreased, although there is anecdotal evidence from media reports to suggest that these are increasingly being used in the most serious gun crime.  The figures reveal that when shotguns were used in crime they were four-times more likely to be fired than handguns.

The number of offences involving air weapons fell by a further 19 percent in 2009/10 and has more than halved since 2005/06, though airguns were still involved in nearly five thousand offences which comprised 38% of the total number.  The fall in airgun offences is greater than suggested by the number of media reports seen by GCN, and some of the incidents, such as the frequent attacks on pets and wildlife, are probably not being included in the gun crime statistics.  In February a new law on Airgun Safety comes into force and it is hoped that this measure will lead to a further reduction in the misuse of air weapons.  Nevertheless, GCN continues to believe that unless airguns are treated like any other firearm and are subject to a process of registration they will continue to be widely misused and make an unacceptable contribution to gun crime.  It is worth recording, however, that at least during January 2011 there were fewer reports of incidents involving air weapons, with only one in which a victim was hit (see below). 

JANUARY 2011 INCIDENTS

• Gun Deaths and Injuries - There were five shooting incidents in January which resulted in fatalities.  Three of these were apparent homicides:

  • Merseyside (2) - a man died six days after being shot in Anfield (three people were arrested), and a second victim was fatally shot in Fazakerley (an 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder)

  • West Yorkshire (1) - a woman was found dead at a house in Woodlesford (Leeds) with wounds apparently from a shotgun (a man has been charged with murder)

• Two apparent suicides were also reported this month.  A man shot and killed himself with a sawn-off shotgun after a 16-hour siege in a park in Luton (Bedfordshire) and a man was found dead on a canal boat in Alvechurch (Worcestershire) with a shotgun lying by his side.

• Eighteen victims were shot, just one with an airgun or imitation gun.

  • Bedfordshire (1) - a man sustained serious injuries after being shot in Bedford

  • Devon (1) - a 15-year-old boy was shot twice in the head with an airgun in Brixham

  • Greater Manchester (2) - a teenage boy and a man both suffered shotgun wounds in Bury (one man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm)

  • Kent (1) - a teenager was shot with a revolver in Dover (another teenager has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and attempting to pervert the course of justice)

  • London (9) - three people were reported to have been shot in Croydon (four teenagers were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder), a man was seriously injured when he was shot in Hackney, four teenagers were reported to have been hit when a gunman on a moped opened fire in Stockwell (two teenagers have been arrested) and a 14-year-old was shot during attacks in East Dulwich in which another teenager was fatally stabbed

  • Merseyside (1) - a man was shot in the abdomen and hip outside a takeaway in Wavertree

  • Nottinghamshire (1) - a man was shot, apparently at a house in Beeston (six people have been arrested over the shooting)

  • Tyneside (1) - a man was shot as he walked through the front door of his house in Dumpling Hall (two 17-year-olds were helping police with their inquiries)

  • West Yorkshire (1) - a man was shot in the leg with a shotgun during a confrontation in a street in Manningham (Bradford) (three men, probably including the victim, were arrested)

• It was also reported that a man had been shot in a street in Hook (south west London) in December 2010.

• Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies allegedly involving guns at Banks and Post Offices (5) in Hove (East Sussex), Watlington (Oxfordshire) (sawn-off shotgun; a man has been charged with a number of offences relating to this and earlier robberies), Langley (Berkshire), and Burgess Hill (West Sussex) (at two separate premises; the raids are believed to be linked), Bookmaker's (6) in Palfrey (West Midlands) (handgun), Manchester (handgun), Rushden (Northamptonshire) (handgun), Glasgow (two separate incidents), and Hamilton (South Lanarkshire), Petrol Stations (6) in March (Cambridgeshire) (handgun), Vauxhall (Liverpool) (BB gun; a 17-year-old was arrested), High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire), Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire) (handgun), Ellesmere Port (Cheshire) (BB gun; a man has been charged), and Longwick (Buckinghamshire) (handguns), Clubs and Pubs (2) in Linwood (Renfrewshire) (handgun) and Moorside (Greater Manchester) (handgun) and Shops (11) in Birkby (West Yorkshire) (shotgun), Cowlersley and Milnsbridge (West Yorkshire) (two separate raids which are being linked), Portsmouth (imitation firearm; a man has been charged), Gloucester, Whalley Range (Manchester) (handgun), Droitwich (Worcestershire) (pistol-like weapon; three teenagers were arrested), Tunbridge Wells (Kent) (shotgun; a shot was fired), Danderhall (Midlothian) (handgun), Edinburgh (handgun) and Gabalfa (Cardiff) (handgun).

• Details were reported of armed robberies from December 2010: two teenagers have been arrested following two raids on a bookmakers in Crosby (Merseyside), there was an armed robbery on a petrol station in Corby (Northamptonshire) involving a shotgun, and in Finsbury Park (north London) a shopkeeper's son was pistol-whipped during an attempted robbery.  A robbery on a shop in South Woodgate in November 2010 was also reported - staff were threatened with a stun gun.

• In raids on Houses mobile phones and jewellery were stolen from a property in Ringstead (Northamptonshire), and a woman was threatened with a gun and a knife by a gang of men who burst into her home in Pitsea (Essex) and stole a mobile phone.

• In Street robberies apparently involving guns three teenagers had their mobile phones stolen in Glossop (Derbyshire) (stun gun), a woman was robbed of her handbag in Glasgow (handgun), and two men were threatened with a shotgun when they went to view a car in Newhey (Greater Manchester).

• A Taxi Driver had his vehicle stolen in Walsall (West Midlands) by three men who threatened him at gunpoint.  Cigarettes were stolen from a Lorry Driver during a delivery to a service station in Chalford (Gloucestershire) by three men possibly armed with a handgun.  A female Car Driver was ordered out of her vehicle at gunpoint in High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire) but the offender fled when a passer-by came over - the incident is being linked to three other robberies including one at a petrol station (see above).  Three men armed with various weapons, including a possible gun, threatened a young man outside his home near Marsden (West Yorkshire) and demanded his car keys but fled empty-handed.

• Other Incidents - Shots were fired during a number of other incidents in January:

  • County Durham - a road sign in Mile Lonnen was damaged by bullets from a .22 rifle

  • Essex - a shot is alleged to have been fired when a gang forced their way into a house in Vange

  • London - a street corner in Manor House was cordoned off after reports of gunshots being fired, and police were investigating a claim that a gun had been fired in Harlesden

  • Merseyside - shotgun pellets were fired at a house in Huyton

  • Nottinghamshire - a gun was fired in Radford (Nottingham) (a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life)

  • Scotland - a man was charged with possessing recklessly discharging a firearm in Bridge of Allan (Stirlingshire), and shots were fired at a property in Maryhill (Glasgow) leaving holes in the living hole window

  • West Yorkshire - a shotgun was fired at the front door of a house in Keighley (six men and three women have been arrested)

• Shots had been fired at a house in Crewe (Cheshire) in an incident which occurred in December 2010 - two men were arrested.

• A man detained after a 5-hour standoff with police in Aigburth (Liverpool) was charged with possession of a handgun and ammunition - in an earlier related incident a pedestrian was threatened with a pistol by a motorist in Garston.

• In west London a woman and five men were arrested for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after witnesses saw suspects "waving guns around" in Chiswick (west London), and police arrested an alleged gunman in Fulham after a tip-off that two men armed with a shotgun and a pistol had been seen arriving at a house.

• A man was arrested in St Columb Minor (Cornwall) after reports that a man made threats to shoot members of the public.

• A man was seen apparently holding a shotgun during an attack on a house in Luton (Bedfordshire).  Police were called to a house in Ashford (Surrey) after reports that a man had been seen with a gun - no guns were found but four people were arrested.  In Attleborough (Norfolk) police responded to a report that a man had been seen carrying a gun but the manhunt was called off following a search of the area.

• A 17-year-old from South Hackney (east London) has been charged after being stopped and found to be carrying a Taser.

• Airguns and Imitation Guns - A police officer was shot at with a BB gun when he went to a house in Swindon (Wiltshire) following reports of a disturbance (a man has been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to resist arrest).

• An air rifle was fired at a train in Normanton (West Yorkshire) damaging its windscreen.

• Airguns and imitation weapons were probably used in many of the armed robberies and this was certainly so in the robberies in Vauxhall (Liverpool), Portsmouth, and Ellesmere Port (Cheshire).  A man was charged in connection with nine offences including ones relating to an attempted robbery in Slough (Berkshire) in December 2010 which involved an imitation firearm. 

• There were other incidents involving airguns and imitation weapons which caused alarm:

  • A man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence following a confrontation with a paramedic in Arborfield (Berkshire)

  • A man was arrested for possession of an air rifle with intent to cause fear of violence after an incident in the centre of Yatton (Somerset)

  • Three people were arrested after a woman was seen wielding a weapon in Whitley Bay (Tyneside) - an air rifle was recovered

  • An air rifle was seized by police and a man arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill at the scene of an incident in Bourne (Lincolnshire)

  • A man was arrested at a furniture store in Blaydon (Teesside) after allegedly threatening staff with an imitation gun

  • A man was arrested after an air pistol was brandished and staff threatened at a nightclub in Abergavenny (Gwent)

• Five young men were arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence after reports of a gun being pointed out of a car in Nottingham - a BB gun was recovered.

• A man seen carrying a silver handgun in Exeter (Devon) was given "suitable words of advice" by police when a toy gun was confiscated.  Two teenagers found carrying ball bearing guns in Devizes (Wiltshire) were given advice but were not arrested. 

• Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Guns were found during searches in which drugs were recovered in Wellingborough (Northamptonshire) (handgun), Merseyside (air rifle), Thornaby (Teesside) (sawn-off shotgun), and Sighthill (Glasgow) (handgun and bullets; two men and a woman were arrested)

• Two men were arrested when a handgun was found at a home in Alvaston (Derby).  In Liverpool a teenager was arrested in Norris Green after a sawn-off shotgun was found, and a man and a woman were arrested after a pistol was discovered in Stockbridge Village.  A man was arrested at his home in Newport (Pembrokeshire) after police found an alleged stolen shotgun.

• A teenage girl testing a metal detector found a handgun in woods in Derby.

• Guns were stolen from properties in Tardebigge (Worcestershire) (shotgun), Chittlehampton (Devon) (air rifle) and Far Forest (Worcestershire) (airgun).

• Incidents Involving Animals - Cats were again targeted in a number of shootings during January - they were shot with airgun pellets in Cardiff, Conwy, Essex, Lincolnshire, Mid Glamorgan and Warwickshire, and another cat was shot in Surrey but the weapon used has not been identified.

• A racing pigeon was shot and killed with an air rifle in Lidlington (Bedfordshire) and seven geese and two ducks were shot dead, probably with an air rifle, in Todmorden (West Yorkshire).

• A teenager who shot down seagulls in Peebles has admitted recklessly discharging an air rifle.

• Inquests - A verdict of suicide was recorded at the inquest into the death of a 17-year-old found with a shotgun near his body in the family garden in Cheriton Bishop (Devon).  An inquest heard that a pensioner shot himself in the head in his garden in Frodsham (Cheshire) and a verdict of suicide was also recorded.  A coroner recorded a verdict that a man from Mobberley (Cheshire) took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed after he shot himself with a shotgun at his home.

• Convictions - A man from Nordelph (Norfolk) who shot two of his neighbours with a shotgun following a feud over their dog was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause serious harm and was jailed for 18 years.

• Five men involved in a drive-by shooting in Mile East (east London) have been convicted of various offences including, in one case, attempted murder - they will serve sentences of between 4 years and a minimum of 12 years.

• A man who fired his licensed shotgun into the ceiling of his ex-girlfriend's home in Navenby (Lincolnshire) admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage and was jailed for 4 years.

• A man from Lydbrook (Gloucestershire) who shot himself in the arm whilst he was drunk and depressed with a handgun he had made himself admitted manufacturing a prohibited weapon, possessing the weapon and possessing a round of hollow point exploding ammunition - he was given a 3 year 4 month sentence.

• Following an incident in which shots were fired at a house in Fulwood (Lancashire) a man has been sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

• A man who threatened a man with a rifle at his flat in Wheatley (South Yorkshire) has been jailed for more than 3 years.

• The following cases involved firearms being used in robberies - in some cases it was not clear whether the gun was real or an imitation.

  • A man who admitted carrying out a raid on a post office in Toryglen (Glasgow) with a firearm or imitation gun has been jailed for 4 years.

  • Another offender has pleaded guilty to robbing a shop in Kessingland (Suffolk) where a gun was said to have been brandished.

  • Two brothers who were part of a gang who raided a post office in Owston (Lincolnshire) armed with sawn-off shotguns pleaded guilty and were jailed for 17 years and 4 years 8 months.

  • Two young men have both admitted two robbery charges after robbing two men at gunpoint in Cirencester (Gloucestershire) and have been sentenced to 4 years.

  • A gang who used pistols, Tasers and machetes in a number of raids across East Anglia have been convicted.

• There were the following convictions for possessing firearms and/or ammunition:

  • On Merseyside a man pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life and been jailed for 6 years (the loaded pistol was found during a routine stop check), a teenager who dumped a handgun during a police raid at his home in Wavertree admitted possessing the firearm and ammunition and was given a 5-year custodial sentence, a man found with a sawn-off shotgun at his home in Belle Vale pleaded guilty to possessing a Section 1 firearm was jailed for 3 years and 4 months, and another man has admitted having a sawn-off shotgun at his mother's house in Huyton and is serving a 6½-year sentence.

  • There were a number of convictions of offenders from London.  A man who hid a self-loading pistol and ammunition at his mother's home in Brixton has been jailed for 5½ years.  Two men found with a pistol and ammunition whilst driving around Hackney have pleaded guilty to possession charges and were jailed for 7 and 5 years.  Two other men arrested with a loaded handgun in Downham were found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and conspiracy to commit robbery - they had been involved in armed attacks in Welling and West Wickham.  A 20-year-old from Maida Vale admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a firearm certificate after admitting concealing a modified handgun and four bullets at a block of flats.

  • In the West Midlands a man who barricaded himself in a flat in Allesley (Coventry) pleaded guilty to being in possession of a prohibited firearm and two counts of being in possession of ammunition without a licence and was jailed for 6½ years.  A man has admitted possessing a pistol containing four bullets discovered at his house in Longford, and another offender who kept a sawn-off shotgun at his house in Blakenhall pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of a firearm and was given a 4-year sentence. 

  • A man who kept an arsenal of guns and ammunition in his flat in Dartford (Kent) has been jailed for 5 years after admitting possessing a prohibited firearm, two charges of possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing a firearm without a certificate and two charges of possessing ammunition.

  • A boy has pleaded guilty to possessing a sawn-off shotgun and a single barrelled shotgun without a firearms certificate after the weapons were found at a house in Huddersfield (West Yorkshire).  A man who had a 100-year-old gun at his home in Yeadon (Leeds) was found guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm and jailed for 2½ years.

  • A Bulgarian lorry driver found with an assault rifle, handgun and drugs in his vehicle at Dover (Kent) pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm and two drugs offences - another man also pleaded guilty to the same charges.

  • A man who shot himself in Harbottle (Northumberland) with a rifle belonging to his father pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm without a certificate.

  • A man who waved a wartime handgun at a group of teenagers in Linwood (Renfrewshire) admitted possessing the prohibited weapon without a firearms certificate and was ordered to carry out 400 hours of community service

  • A man who found a rifle cartridge on Dartmoor (Devon) pleaded guilty to possession of the rifle cartridge without holding a firearms certificate as well as drug offences and was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work

• Stun Guns - A man who admitted possessing a stun gun which was found at his home in Haigh (Greater Manchester) was given a community order with 200 hours unpaid work.

• A West Midlands man involved in a fraud trial also admitted possessing a stun gun found when police searched his home.

• A man from Dudley (West Midlands) found in possession of a stun gun and stolen cameras pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and possessing a prohibited weapon - he was given a suspended 12-week jail term and ordered to carry out unpaid work.

• Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A teenager from Sheffield who shot a taxi driver in the head with pellets from a ball bearing gun pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

• The following cases involved the use of airguns and imitation guns to threaten:

  • A man who was drunk when he fired a ball bearing gun at a hospital in Leeds admitted possessing an imitation firearm and was given a suspended 9-month prison sentence and a condition of undergoing an alcohol treatment programme

  • A man who pulled the trigger of a ball-bearing gun while aiming it at a group of men in Brighouse (West Yorkshire) has admitted possessing an imitation firearm and been sentenced to 21 months.

  • Two men pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm to cause fear of violence and false imprisonment after a victim had been taken from a property in Leyland (Lancashire) - they were jailed for 2 years 6 months and 3 years 10 months.

  • A man who pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, a gas-powered air rifle, without the correct licence has pleaded not guilty to possession a firearm with intent to cause another man fear of violence following an incident near Wonford (Devon)

  • A woman who went round to the home of her cleaner in Witham (Essex) brandishing a BB gun pleaded guilty to affray and was given a conditional discharge

  • A 15-year-old pointed an air rifle at a father who went to reclaim his son's stolen bike in Allenton (Derby) - he admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and other offences and has been given a 2-year detention and training order

  • In spite of admitting possessing an imitation firearm with intent after thrusting a ball-bearing gun into another man's face in Oxford, a man was given an absolute discharge by the judge.

• There were a number of convictions for robberies and attempted robberies in which the offender(s) was armed with an imitation firearm.  The incidents occurred:

  • at Shops in Portsmouth (a man who was armed with a fake handgun pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm), St Leonards (East Sussex) (a 17-year-old who used a fake gun during a raid has been jailed for more than 2 years), and Hamilton (South Lanarkshire) (a member of staff was struck by a pellet from an imitation pistol - the offender has been jailed for 3 years)

  • at a Bookmaker's in Acocks Green (Birmingham) (a man has been sentenced to 9 years for charges of robbery, attempted robbery, possession of a machete and an imitation firearm)

  • at a Bank in Rye (East Sussex) (a man pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm and was jailed for 2 years)

  • in a Car in Leicester (two teenagers armed with an air pistol who attacked and robbed three friends eating a takeaway admitted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and were both sentenced to 3 years and 4 months)

  • in a Street robbery in Enfield (north London) in which three young offenders attempted to steal money during a bogus car sale (they admitted kidnap, robbery and possession of an imitation firearm and one of them was jailed for 7 years and the other two for 6 years and 2 months.

• A man who pretended to have a shotgun whilst using a vacuum cleaner attachment pleaded guilty to raiding three bookmakers in Liverpool.

• A man found with a BB gun and a crossbow at his home in Accrington (Lancashire) has been convicted of drug offences and jailed for 18 months.

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