Crime in England and Wales 2006/07

Offences involving firearms

Provisional statistics are available for police recorded crimes in 2006/07 involving firearms other than air weapons (referred to as ‘firearm offences’ in the remainder of this section).

• Firearms are taken to be involved in an incident if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person, or used in a threat. Most offences involving a firearm are violent crimes and more than half (55%) occurred in just three metropolitan forces: London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
  
• In 2006/07 there were a provisional 9,608 firearm offences recorded in England and Wales, a 13% decrease on 2005/06, and the lowest number recorded since 2000/01.
  
  
• There was a significant increase in the number of firearm offences recorded between 1998/99 and 2001/02, though figures may have been partially influenced by some forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard prior to its national introduction on 1 April 2002.
  
  
• The increases have slowed since 2001/02, and the 2006/07 fall is the first since 1997/98.
  
  
• 3% of most serious offences of violence against the person (other than homicide) involved firearms in 2006/07, down from 4% in 2005/06. In terms of numbers of offences, there was a 16% fall from 760 to 635 offences.
  
  
• Less than half of 1% (0.4%) of other violence against the person offences involved firearms in 2006/07 the 3,690 offences recorded representing a 22% decrease from 2005/06.
  
  
• Firearms were used in 58 homicides, 9 offences (or 18%) more than the 49 recorded in 2005/06. In addition, 3 homicides involving the use of air weapons were recorded in 2006/07, making a total of 61 firearms homicides (including air weapons) for the period.
  
  
• There were 3,891 firearm robberies in 2006/07, a 4% decrease from the previous year. Firearms were used in just under 4% (3.8%) of all robbery offences recorded by police.
  
  
• Handguns were used in 4,144 offences during 2006/07, 11% (or 527 offences) fewer than in 2005/06. Shotguns were used in 608 offences, a 5% decrease from the previous year.
  
  
• There were 413 firearm offences that resulted in serious injury in 2006/07, a 13% decrease over 2005/06. The number of slight injuries decreased by 23% to 2,528 from 2005/06. 41% of these slight injuries were caused by imitation weapons (some of which fire plastic pellets).
  
  
• Imitation weapons were used in 2,493 offences in 2006/07, 24% or 782 offences fewer than in the previous year after substantial increases since 1999/00. BB guns/ soft air weapons accounted for four fifths (83%) of these offences.
  

Further analysis of 2006/07 firearm offences will be published when full data is available early in 2008.

Use of weapons in violent incidents

It is currently not possible to identify offences involving the use of weapons other than firearms from national police recorded crime statistics. Figures for serious wounding involving knives and other sharp instruments from 2007/08 onwards will be presented in future volumes.

Weapons were used in 24% of all BCS violent crimes in 2006/07 a similar proportion to 2005/06 BCS (2%, the apparent difference is not statistically significant).

The most common types of weapons used were knives (used in 7% of all BCS incidents of violence), hitting implements (6%), and glass or bottles (5%). The use of different types of weapons has remained similar between 2005/06 and 2006/07 BCS.

Source: Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Crime in England and Wales 2006-07 (published)