Firearms offences...

[Huguenot]

Just picked this up...

"Overall firearms offences fell 13% in 2006-07 to 9,608 incidents - the lowest number in seven years. Firearms robberies, handgun offences and serious injuries from firearms are also down.

YOUTH SHOOTINGS IN 2007

London: Six deaths

James Andre Smarrt-Ford, 16

Michael Dosunmu, 15

Billy Cox, 15,

Annaka Keniesha Pinto, 17

Abukar Mahamed, 16

Nathan Foster, 18

Manchester: One death

Kamilah Peniston, 12

Liverpool: One death

Rhys Jones, 11

Just over half of all firearms offences occurred in just three major forces - the Metropolitan Police in London, Greater Manchester and West Midlands.

Drilling down into the national figures up to the end of April 2006 shows that West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester Police have all experienced drops in firearms offences whereas London has seen an increase.

The Metropolitan Police says that in the 12 months to July 2007 it saw a 3.5% rise in firearms offences - up from 3,485 to 3,607 incidents.

Nottingham is another city that has struggled with a guns label after a number of killings in 2004, including schoolgirl Danielle Beccan - but its police chiefs say public perception is at odds with reality because the city witnesses far fewer incidents per resident than other so-called gun hotspots. Figures show Nottinghamshire Police recorded one firearms-related death in 2006 and none as of August 2007.

While there has been substantial concern in recent years over the use of imitation weapons in gang incidents - not least because some can be converted into real guns - the figures show there has also been a decrease here.

Further detailed research on firearms crimes on a regional basis will be published in 2008.

What all of this means is that we cannot draw any simple nationwide conclusions about gun crime. What we can say with certainty is that gun crime is a problem that remains closely focused in some cities that have witnessed some terrible deaths.

The figures do not show that gun crime is prolific or widespread in England and Wales."

Thought it might stir up a hornets nest.... ;-)

[SeanMacGabhann]

And the figures for Singapore Huguenot?

But yes interesting stats. You will get some people who are suspicious of those figures but I do get the feeling that the news outlets enjoy bigging up any violent/gun-related stories to keep us frightened

And there is no denying that for many people it works

Not to say that ANY gun crime is acceptable - but it is reassuring to realise it's not getting worse, as we are led to believe

[mockney piers]

As it happens there was a shooting in Letchworth today, of all places.

Someone shot 3 times in the face, which sounds pretty painful; 2 black men arrested and it's thought to be drug related.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/6960590.stm

I was shocked; black people in Letchworth?!

[citizenED]

ser funny Mockney - but serious business and one should refrain from humour 'til a few more posts have been made, surely.

Thanks for the stats Huguenot

[mockney piers]

Apologies.

In all seriousness, yes the media hype is making for a climate of fear, but when stupid kids can hold up apollo (or whatever its called now) for 70 quid, with a real gun, then that means there are probably more guns out there than makes me feel entirely comfortable.

I'd like to know what the informed estimates are for the number of recommissioned decommissioned guns/replicas as well as for the more reliable real ones.

And again in all seriousness, if it can happen in Letchworth (7th best quality of life in Britain apparently, I know, no wonder record numbers are leaving the country) then it really can happen anywhere.

[Huguenot]

Well, the Singaporeans have an interesting approach to crime prevention. Apparently it had the highest per-capita execution rate in the world between 1994 and 1999, estimated by the United Nations to be 13.57 executions per one million population during that period. The next highest was Saudi Arabia with 4.65.

As a result (or not) there were only 17 murders last year, down from 21 the year before. All were solved apparently. Believe it or not, there were only 1,123 burglaries last year.

In London there were 132 murders, and 15,596 burglaries although the periods are slightly different (they're both 12 months).

I might add that the area of London covered by the figures is only 50% higher - so you can't account for it simply by population weight. You do feel incredibly safe in Singapore.

[Mark]

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You do feel incredibly safe in Singapore.

does it feel, you know, boring? Is there no edginess?

What's the punishment over there for dropping litter? Do they send offenders on tree hugging courses?

[Huguenot]

Lol, I don't know what the crimes are for dropping litter - I suspect that they're no more onerous than elsewhere, but the likelihood of getting caught and penalised is higher. Things like vandalism get mandatory three strokes of the cane, and those guys whip good...

It's not boring because your life's not at risk, no. Socially it's far more energetic than the UK - as it's warm everyone's outside more, and in residential areas doors and windows stand open so you can see into other people's lives.

It tends to be more conformist: middle class kids into soft rock tend to be seen as 'edgy and risk-taking' and wear black t-shirts with unicorns on.

Then there's still big questions over organised crime...

[Marmora Man]

30+ years ago Singapore was edgy - US troops on leave from Vietnam, Australian air hostesses stripping in bars on Boogie Street, rickshaw races to Raffles Hotel, eating off banana leaves from market stalls in Change Alley - all accompanied by the ever present stench from the storm drains.

I gather nowadays it is all rather staid.

[Brendan]

Sounds like fun!

[citizenED]

It is tough to talk about the killing of the little lad in Croxteth at the moment - what with it being such a raw issue at the moment, but I guess people will have their opinions about the current crime situation - that's why Huguenot's post was so important, it gives some perspective to the media's kneejerk reaction.

citizen