SHOOTING INCIDENTS in London have almost doubled compared with the same period last year, prompting grave concerns that gun crime in some areas is out of control.
Scotland Yard (London’s metropolitan police force) has admitted a 17 per cent rise in overall firearms offences, although metropolitan police chief Sir Paul Stephenson has put that down to a blip.
Sir Paul last week dropped a plan to put routine armed patrols on the streets, saying that although gun crime had risen it was still lower than two years ago and he was not willing to sanction such a dramatic departure from the principle of unarmed policing. However, the true scale of the increases is contained in figures being presented tomorrow to the metropolitan police authority.
They reveal that the number of actual shootings has almost doubled from 123 to 236 in the last six months compared with the same period last year, a rise of 91.8 per cent. Serious firearms offences have risen by 47 per cent across the capital. Those discharging the firearms and those being shot at are young teenagers involved in “respect shootings” to settle petty disputes with little thought of the consequences, say police and community leaders.
Such shootings involve a gunshot into the leg, echoing the punishment attacks meted out in Northern Ireland. Detectives say that pointing a gun at the shin or knee is a deliberate tactic to avoid any chance the victim will die, risking a 30-year mandatory sentence.
Those working at local level in the capital say the number of incidents reported is only a fraction of what is taking place.
“Gun crime has never gone away,” said the Rev Les Isaac, who works as a street pastor in south London. “Firearms are being discharged more or less on a daily basis in some parts of London.”
Instead of expensive guns from eastern Europe, the younger perpetrators are using cheaper shotguns and converted handguns. They are easier to procure and ammunition is readily available.
The figures contrast with those nationally, where gun crime is still falling. On Merseyside, gun crime is down by 27 per cent; nationally, firearms offences have fallen by 5 per cent. – ( Guardianservice)