Gun Crime In UK; A Growing Problem
Gun crime is a growing problem within the UK. In the past guns have been the reserve of organised criminals although today an increasing number of firearms are finding their way in to the hands of young, impressionable adults and children. The link between gun crime and gang culture is clearly evident and its causes are not easily defined; fundamentally it is a combination of social and economic factors that lead young people down the path of carrying guns.
But what defines a gun crime? Any murder in which the victim has been shot is classified as gun crime, although death or injury does not have to occur, in fact it is an offence to fire a gun in public. Additionally robberies or burglaries in which the criminals have carried firearms will be classified as gun crimes. However it is important to realise that it does not require the firing of a gun to break the law; carrying a gun, be it real or imitation is an offence and using it to intimidate others will almost certainly carry a custodial sentence. While the reported cases of firearms offences is relatively small, only one percent of the entire number of crimes, the instances of gun crime have been steadily growing the past few years.
As a result of this increase the penalties for carrying firearms, whether real or imitation have been considerably toughened in recent times. The minimum sentence for carrying a prohibited firearm is now five years and plans are being developed to outlaw the sale of imitation handguns. This is because there is a growing problem of replicas being converted so that they are able to fire bullets. This problem is so rife that an entire cottage industry has been built up around the converting of replica guns.
Part of the crackdown has seen the creation of a National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) that will act to forensically report on all gun crime incidents. Additionally NABIS will be given the role of creating a national database that will operate on a tri-city basis in Birmingham, Manchester and London. NABIS will not purely act as a records centre however, it is hoped that it will be able to correlate all information and intelligence regarding the use of guns and put into action police initiatives and more effective criminal investigations. Part of their role will also be to crack down upon the conversion factories and importers of firearms into the UK.
Hopefully the work of NABIS will be able to clear up confusion over recent figures released by the government. Claims are abound that the most recent gun crime report underestimates the problem of gun crime by as much as sixty percent in geographical areas. Additionally any government figures are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to reporting the situation in its entirety, for instance, the latest figures omitted the smuggling offences pertaining to firearms, a glaring omission that clearly affects the overall picture of gun crime within the UK.
Hopefully this article has put forward some interesting points surrounding the nature of gun crime in the UK. While it is a growing problem what is clear is that the government and authorities are attempting to stem the tide of this problem. While facts and figures may be ineffectual it is important for the law makers not to become bogged down in partisan politics and instead focus upon the issues at hand; these are how can we prevent the carrying and distribution of guns, and how can we protect young adults from gang culture.
About the Author
Cultural affairs expert Thomas Pretty looks into the problem of gun crime in the UK and govenrment initiatives to tackle the issue.
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