Community Engagement

The Government recognises the important part played by communities in addressing the wider issue of the underlying gun culture. The Home Secretary hosts regular Round Table meetings on gun crime, involving the police, community representatives and policy officials. These meetings provide a framework for sharing the experience of those involved in law enforcement and crime prevention, and to obtain the views of the community and voluntary sector.

In January 2004, we held a successful conference in Birmingham, and a second event in May 2006 held in Oxford, which brought together voluntary organisations, community groups, law enforcement and Government policy officials to share experiences and look at ways to tackle gun and knife crime. These were highly interactive and stimulating events. Delegates explored the causes of gun and knife crime as well as gang culture and came up with a range of issues and proposals for action. The full reports from both conferences are available in Publications.

Following from the first event, the Home Office established the Connected programme of work to support community groups in crime prevention, part of which is this website.

Funding

One major issue raised at the conference was the need for simple funding for anti gun crime projects. As an action from this event, the Connected Fund was launched: a straightforward, non-bureaucratic funding stream designed to assist small local community projects working to tackle gun crime and gun culture. The Fund proved very successful with £1.75 million disbursed to over 400 community groups across the country through six rounds, since its launch in 2004. The fund is now closed but may be re-opened in the future. See the Connected Fund for more on this.

Law Enforcement

Collaborative effort across the UK has been taking place to stem the procurement, supply and availability of firearms for criminal use. The Association of Chief Police Officers, Criminal Use of Firearms (ACPO CUF) is a multi-agency forum comprising police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which coordinates much of the activity.

There is much good work conducted by dedicated, intelligence-led gun crime initiatives in police forces around the country, such as Operations Trident, Trafalgar and Project Alliance in London, Embar in Merseyside, Axel in the West Midlands and X-Calibre in Manchester, which are producing excellent results.

The engagement of Independent Advisory Groups, combined with partnerships between law enforcement, local government and neighbourhood groups continues to positively enhance community confidence in the police and its activities.

Tackling Gangs Action Programme

The Home Secretary announced on 9 September 2007 that neighbourhoods in parts of London, Liverpool, Greater Manchester and Birmingham were to be the focus of renewed action to tackle gun crime and serious violence among young people. The areas have identified by the police as suffering disproportionately from problems with violent gangs which can be involved in gun crime and which present the greatest challenges. 

The Government is worked with the police, partner agencies and local authorities to roll out a tailored package of enforcement action and community reassurance for each area which will be underpinned by ongoing prevention and intervention work with parents and young people and new national coordination. See Publications for guidance issued following the end of the programme.

Knife Crime

• Knife crime is broadly stable:
  • 6-7% of all violent crime is knife related according to the British Crime Survey; this has remained relatively stable for several years (it was 5% in 1997)
  • Around one third of all murders are committed using a knife or sharp instrument; this is broadly stable since 1997 (202 in 97/98; 212 in 2005/6)
• Almost 90,000 knives were taken out of circulation during a successful knife amnesty from 24 May to 30 June 2006
• There were 5,240 emergency hospital admissions as a result of ‘assault by a sharp object’ in 2005/06, and this figure has increased year on year since 1998/99, except for a temporary dip in 2002/03
• The proportion of these cases to the total number of emergency admissions to hospital due to external causes (i.e. an accident/assault/misadventure rather than an illness such as appendicitis) has remained less than 1% since 1998/99
• In addition, from April 2007, knife-related offences were recorded separately for the first time by Police forces

Tackling the Supply of Illegal Weapons 

In response to a number of high profile cases, the Home Secretary chaired a Ministerial Task Force on Gun, Knife and Gang Crime. Following this, lead UK law enforcement agencies have been refocusing their attention on this specific issue. Revised strategic threat assessments by ACPO, SOCA and HMRC have collectively enabled these agencies to review and reprioritise activity and/or redirect resources to more effectively tackle this subject.

As part of this response, SOCA and HMRC have placed representatives in the Home Office Tackling Gang Action Programme (TGAP). One of the TGAP work streams aims to quality assure the work of UK law enforcement and enhance arrangements for inter-agency cooperation.

The work of TGAP involves the examination of existing legislation to ensure that provisions are robustly applied. One example being that since 1 October 2007, under the terms of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, it has become a criminal offence to import, manufacture and sell a realistic imitation Firearm.

Within the EU, in its efforts to seek harmonisation of European firearms legislation, the UK has been proactive in seeking a review of the European Firearms Weapons Directive as a means of tightening firearms controls.

UK legislation on the import of firearms is stringent and enforcement agencies act to prevent illegal importation (including also the smuggling of stun guns, CS gas and pepper sprays and other offensive weapons). Our law enforcement agencies are active in targeting groups who seek to illegally import firearms, including criminal gangs who use firearms to protect or expand their illicit activities.

Intelligence led anti-smuggling checks at ports, airports and international postal hubs, leads to detections of firearms every year. Enforcement agencies monitor routes and means of smuggling firearms, ammunition, or essential component parts, including purchase by internet and adverts in specialist magazines.

The risk of the diversion of firearms from legal sources, such as the Registered Firearms Trade or the Ministry of Defence/UK Armed Forces is acknowledged. Improved dialogue and working arrangements between the HMRC Firearms & Explosives Officers (who are engaged in post-import firearms audit controls) the Ministry of Defence and the Police Firearms Licensing Managers is ongoing.

Witness Protection Issues

We believe that the criminal justice system should stand up for the victims of gang and gun crime. Witnesses need to be certain that they will receive adequate protection at the earliest possible stage in the criminal justice process. We are considering what more needs to be done to achieve this and are working on proposals, including new legislation, which would provide greater support and assistance to witnesses both before and during the trial.