MPA welcomes Gun Crime report

90/03
6 November 2003

"The MPA welcomes the All Party Parliamentary Group's report on gun crime", Cindy Butts, Chair of the MPA's Consultation Committee and Gun Crime Scrutiny, said on the publication of 'Combating the threat of gun violence'. She continued:

"Gun crimes destroy lives and bring fear and intimidation to our communities.

"The MPA is conducting a far reaching scrutiny to review key policing strategies and tactics in London, as well as inviting partners to submit views on the best way forward. There is no one solution and no easy answer, but by opening up the debate and working in partnership, we can begin to make our streets safer. The scrutiny panel is particularly interested in finding out how the MPA can effectively support organisations working with the community against gun crime.

"We fully endorse the report's findings on imitation firearms - last year 72% of all firearms seized by the Met's Operation Trident officers were imitation. Criminals' use of replica guns in robberies and muggings to instil fear and intimidate their victims has increased and it also places an extra burden on officers involved in firearms incidents - having to decide whether the gun is real or not.

"We want to come up with new and imaginative ways to turn young people away from using guns. Tackling the problem once the crime has been committed is too late. The indiscriminate use of guns is a crime against the whole community and should be treated as such."

The final report, setting out the scrutiny's findings and recommendations, will be available on the MPA website in January 2004.

Notes to editors

1. Full details of the Gun Crime Scrutiny can be found on the MPA website

2. Details of future meetings of the Gun Crime Scrutiny can be found on the MPA website

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