GUN CRIME ON THE RISE

After falling for years, firearm incidents have started to creep up

BBritain has a rising gun crime problem. Statistics show that in recent years, the number of firearm offences has risen, following a long term fall.

Looking across the country, there were almost 10,000 crimes that involved guns in 2018/19.

The 9,787 total offences marked a 4% increase on the year before - and marks a rise of 27% in five years.

However it is still far lower than the record 24,094 offences recorded in 2003/04.

Particularly affected are large cities most notably London, which saw 30% of all gun crime (excluding air rifles), Birmingham (West Midlands police recorded 11% of all gun crime excluding air rifles), and Manchester (Greater Manchester Police recorded 7%).

People were shot dead 33 times over the year in England and Wales - three more than in 2017/18.

However murder is not the most common type of gun crime.

People were most likely to use a gun to commit violence against the person, followed by criminal damage, and robbery.

The favourite tool of the British gunwielding criminal is the air rifle - used in 31% of gun crimes.

That’s followed by the handgun, with more than a quarter (28%) of all gun crimes involving one.

Imitation firearms - which include BB guns and other soft air weapons were used in 14% of crimes.

Last year the government introduced a new law - The Offensive Weapons Act - which gave police extra powers to seize dangerous weapons.

It also included a ban on the possession, manufacture and sale of rapid firing rifles and bump stocks.

However rifles and machine guns were used in fewer than one per cent of crimes last year.

Kit Malthouse, Minister for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service said: “We are taking action to make our streets safer and protect people from violence in their homes.

“We are recruiting 20,000 new police officers, giving them more powers to take dangerous weapons off our streets and ensuring serious violent and sexual offenders spend longer behind bars.”

Those in their early 20s are most likely to fall victim to gun crime.

In 2018/19, 16% of victims of firearms offences (excluding air weapons) were aged 20-24.

However they only make up 6% of the general population.

Older people are far less likely to be on the receiving end of a gun crime.

People over the age of 60 accounted for 5% of victims of non-air weapon offences, even though they make up roughly a quarter (24%) of the population in England and Wales.