November 29, 2007: Action On Gun Crime
One hundred and eighteen people have been arrested and over 1300 real and
imitation firearms have been seized in Manchester, London, Liverpool and
Birmingham as part of a co-ordinated day of action involving over 1,000
police officers to target the supply of guns, increase visible policing and
reassure communities in those areas most affected by gun crime.
The co-ordinated day of action, in conjunction with
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the
Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA),
forms a key part of the Tackling Gangs Action Programme. The Tackling Gangs
Action Programme was established in September 2007 by the Government to
focus renewed action to tackle gun crime and serious violence in Liverpool,
Birmingham, Greater Manchester and London. These areas have been identified
by the police as suffering disproportionately from problems with criminal
gangs which can be involved in gun crime and which present the greatest
challenges. These hotspots account for over half of all firearms offences in
England and Wales.
The Tackling Gangs Action Programme is overseen by a central Ministerial
Taskforce on guns and gangs, chaired by the
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, which met for the third time yesterday.
The Tackling Gangs Action Programme will continue to look at future action
including:
-
the use of covert operations and surveillance against targeted gang
members
-
the use of civil orders to restrict gang members
-
the provision of mediation services for gang members
-
the supply of safe houses for victims, witnesses and those seeking to
leave gangs
The Home Secretary commented:
"Getting guns off our streets is a top priority for the Government and the
Day of Action sends a strong message to criminals and the community that
weapons won’t be tolerated. The Tackling Gangs Action Programme has made
good progress in working with police, their partners and local authorities
to support increased enforcement and community reassurance in these
areas.Yesterday’s success proves that gun crime can be tackled and
communities can stand up against the intimidation of guns."
Jon Murphy, Head of the Tackling Gangs Action Programme on behalf of the
Association of Chief Police Officers
said:
"Tragedies involving young people have a profound effect on all
neighbourhoods. Chief Officers across the police service share the desire to
work with Government to address the causes of gun and gang-related violence
in the most affected areas over the long term. Neighbourhood policing is key
to this success and can be highly effective in delivering the sustainable
solutions we require. Looking forward the challenge is to develop an
approach which combines local and strategic policing to tackle and defeat
this corrosive problem."
Roy Clarke, HMRC Director of Criminal Investigations, said:
"HMRC undertake anti-gun smuggling operations to ensure lethal weapons and
replica firearms do not find their way on to the streets of our towns and
cities. Our work at UK frontiers is supported by good intelligence and close
co-operation with other law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas
in the US, Europe and Middle East; as such we are ready to play our part in
the Tackling Gangs Action Programme.
"These efforts have been effective and in the past year having led to the
seizure over 700 firearms, including replica guns, shotguns and stun guns
along with more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition. We have seen successful
prosecutions in the last year with prison sentences ranging from
three-and-a-half years to 12 years for the illegal shipment of weapons
ranging from handguns to assault rifles."
The national Day of Action took place on Wednesday 28 November. Initial
results of the enforcement action as follows:
National results:
Firearms recovered: 10 handguns, 6 other imitation handguns, 1290 realistic
imitation firearms, 3 cs gas canisters, 1 stun gun, 4 air weapons. A large
quantity of knives and batons. 5 separate seizures of live ammunition
Warrants Executed: 67
Vehicles Seized: 34
Cash Seized: £5900
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