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Police Worried About Gun Violence Rise In UK
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Police Worried About Gun Violence Rise In UKBy Mike WendlingCNSNews.com London Bureau ChiefJanuary 10, 2002London (CNSNews.com) - Police and anti-crime groups are worried about a recent spate of gun violence in Britain, typified by the recent unprovoked shooting of a 19-year-old woman in London.The victim, who has requested not to be named, was mugged for her mobile phone on New Year's Day, but was shot in the head even after she handed the phone to her assailant. She suffered a broken skull in the attack.That shooting came on top of a series of gun-related incidents recorded between Christmas and New Year, including the case of two men killed by a single shot fired at a party in east London.Gun murders are still comparatively rare in Britain. Police statistics show that 171 murders were committed in Greater London in the year ending March 2001, most involving knives or other weapons. By comparison, 640 murders were logged in New York City last year.But according to the most recently released official crime statistics, gun murders in the capital have shot up by more than 100 percent. The Metropolitan Police say that 25 fatal shootings were recorded in London in the eight months ending August 2001, compared with 12 in the same period the previous year. Overall, gun crime in London is up by 11 percent.A police spokesman said Thursday that officers confiscate an average of 50 illegal guns per month.Tough Gun LawsBritain instituted some of the strongest gun control laws after a 1996 shooting massacre at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland that killed 16 children and their teacher. A handgun ban in the U.K. went into effect the following year, and rifle and shotgun owners are now forced to register their weapons.But while the registration requirements have reduced the number of legitimate gun owners, the supply of illegal handguns does not appear to have been stemmed.Home Office statistics show that the number of licensed gun owners in Britain last year fell to about 125,000, the lowest-ever recorded level. Meanwhile, a survey by the Center for Defence Studies at London's Kings College found that the number of crimes in which an illegal handgun was used increased from 2,636 in 1997/98 to 3,685 in 1999/2000. The number of crimes in which any type of gun was used was up more than 4,000 over the same period.The study also concluded that there was no link between levels of gun crime and areas with high levels of lawful gun ownership. The independent survey was funded by the Countryside Alliance's Campaign For Shooting."Looking at the research, it is crystal clear that the existing gun laws do not lead to crime reduction and a safer place," said campaign director David Bredin. "Policymakers have targeted the legitimate sporting and farming communities with ever-tighter laws. But the research clearly demonstrates that it is illegal guns which are the real threat to public safety," Bredin said.While the Countryside Alliance supports crackdowns on illegal handguns, activists believe that a concentration on law-abiding sportsmen has allowed a "gun culture" to develop in inner-city areas.Reasons remain mysteriousThe reasons for the recent jump in gun violence are unknown, but police suspect an increase in gang activity and a lucrative market in stolen mobile phones could be behind the statistics.Some experts have even suggested that an increase in crime can be attributed to the greater numbers of police officers being put on anti-terrorist duty after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Preliminary statistics indicate that muggings in London have increased by 40 percent since early September. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200201\FOR20020110f.html
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