APPG briefing from the Police Federation of England and Wales

ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP (APPG)
UK GUN CRIME

Introduction

The Police Federation of England & Wales is the staff association, established by statute, with responsibility for the welfare of officers and the provision of an efficient police service. Our members now total more than 130,000 and face the effects of gun crime on a day-to-day basis.

The structure of the comparative study being undertaken by the APPG on UK Gun Crime clearly demonstrates an understanding that the problem is multifaceted and will require a multi-disciplined response at local, regional, national and international level.

We welcome the opportunity to inform the study and restrict our written evidence to those areas where our members are particularly qualified to comment.

UK Gun Crime

Unlawful trafficking of firearms, people or drugs into the United Kingdom from around the world is a lucrative business. In the materialistic world in which we live, huge profits are to be gained.

The increase in gun related crime in recent years, whether perceived or actual, is well documented. Of particular concern is the increase in the unlawful importation of weapons from abroad, the availability of replica weapons which are becoming increasingly easy to convert and the increase in the use of and threat from air weapons. Government statistics document these increases and the experience of police officers support these findings.

When considering how to reverse this worrying trend, we need first to understand the cause of the increase. The experience of police officers indicates it is linked to one or more of a number of factors, including:

• Drugs culture, predominantly the “a crack economy” and link with gangs, turf war etc. A spiral of violence can easily result from acts of retribution carried out on any gang members – regardless of whether or not they were involved in the initial incident.
• Disaffected youth – with the gun seen as a status symbol, a symbol of power or a fashion accessory. Alienated youths can all to easily fall from mainstream society into a cycle of failure.
• Glamorised in films, music etc. Seen as make-believe, a toy, inability to understand or appreciate the impact of the gun.

The unlawful use of firearms covers a raft of different activities, from youngsters probably thrilled by the “game” experimenting with BB Guns or high-powered air weapons, to rich drug barons protecting their profits at all cost.

There is a misplaced belief that young people caught up in gangs are lawless. They may not conform to the rules laid down by Parliament, they have a different set of values. There are strict gang rules and heavy penalties for breaking any of them. Rather than being unregulated many are well organised with clear rules. The challenge for a democratic, civilised society is to identify those at risk of joining the gang culture and divert them into more acceptable behaviour. This requires resources, commitment, investment and effective communication. Intermediaries have been used effectively to divert gang members.

Whilst the greatest risk appears to come from drug related gun crime in inner city areas, colleagues also report an increased use of air weapons – licit weapons we believe may have the potential to act as stepping-stones to the use of more powerful weaponry. Furthermore, the risk from gun crime is ever present, not just in the inner cities but throughout the UK.

Good Practice

High visibility armed patrols, providing reassurance and the ability to respond quickly to incidents have produced excellent results in many of our inner cities.

Special police operations aimed at combating gun crime (specifically inner city drug related gun crime) have been developed around the country, building upon the success of Operation Trident in the Metropolitan Police. (Operation Ventara - West Midlands, Operation Goodwood - West Yorkshire, Operation Stealth - Nottingham).

Tangible successes (arrests, seizure of Class ‘A’ drugs and weapons) have been achieved by police co-operating and co-ordinating with other agencies and importantly with all sections of the community, including many hard to reach groups. Trust between police and communities is beginning to be re-built in many areas. We should not underestimate the level of commitment, resources, cooperation etc. needed for this to be successful. It requires sustainable commitment.

A community can be one block of flats, a street, a few houses. Where communities work together and trust is built with the formal agencies real progress can be achieved. Eg. Mothers Against Guns, Disarm trust, Trident Independent Advisory Group, Manchester Multi-Agency Gang Strategy

Legislation: We welcome government proposals (Anti-Social Behaviour Bill) to further control air weapons and replica weapons in public places. The associated power of arrest is also welcomed.

However, strong enforcement alone will not be successful. It needs to be linked with education (raising of awareness) and effective sanctioning. As indicated above a number of multi-agency and community initiated projects, mainly in inner cities, are beginning to provide this. Good practice needs to be disseminated quickly to all levels.

Obstacles

Attitude to Guns

Whether as a fashion accessory or as a symbol of power. This needs the commitment of all parties responsible for shaping society. It is possible to turn around this type of attitude as is evident from drink & drive. However this requires total commitment and consistent complementary policies from all agencies and partners.

Performance Measurement/Targets

The need to commit sufficient resources to combating gun crime is obvious. The requirement to rebuild community links should not be underestimated in terms of officer numbers. Concentrating on persistent offenders and volume crime can distort the figures and act as a disincentive to providing officers for those all important community links which are less quantifiable.

Performance monitoring is locally based, either at force or Basic Command Unit (BCU) level. Gun crime knows no such borders. Flexibility therefore needs to be introduced and maintained.

Availability of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO’s)

The protection and safety of the public is paramount and our Number “1” priority. Police and the public alike need to be confident that appropriate armed support is available where and when necessary. A majority (85%) of the general public support the view that more police need to be armed in one form or another(1), as does a significant majority of our members.

Despite this, nearly four in ten police officers are dissatisfied with the availability of armed support(2). Moreover, in the eight years since the last Police Federation of England and Wales officer safety/arming survey there has been no improvement in police officers’ levels of satisfaction with the availability of armed support(3), despite the rise in gun crime.

There has been a reduction of over 800 AFOs in the past 5 years, from 6,585 in 1997-98 to 5,776 in 2001-02(4). Between 2000-01 and 2001-02 alone there was a reported 27% increase in the number of offences involving firearms in the UK, but 288 less AFOs (see Appendix A and B).

Although the comparison between the number of AFOs and gun crime is relatively crude – as additional factors such as geographical area, social deprivation and level of crime should be taken into account – it is nevertheless a useful means to identify trends and review AFO numbers and deployment.

London experiences the most gun crimes in the UK. However whilst violent and gun related crime has risen, the number of AFOs at the Metropolitan Police’s disposal has decreased – for instance by 7% in 2001-02. This pattern is repeated in many other areas (see appendix A and B). These trends need to be reversed to provide the public and police with the level of protection and resilience they require.

Despite the increase in gun crime, police officers continue to believe the service should not be routinely armed - nearly eight out of ten officers being against routine arming in the most recent survey(5). This figure has remained relatively constant since the Police Federation of England and Wales survey in 1995.

Protective Equipment and Safety Training

The majority of forces now issue protective vests to officers. However, eleven have been slow to do so(6). The problem with protective vests in the UK is the need to assess what constitutes the greatest risk. Knives are more prevalent than guns and vests that offer protection against both are uncomfortable to wear for any period of time. The specification is improving all the time with a consequent reduction in the compromise between safety and wearability. The search for the “magic T shirt” goes on.

Not surprisingly, over a quarter of police officers are dissatisfied with the current levels of personal protective equipment available to them(7). A similar proportion is dissatisfied with the current levels of officer safety training available(8).

Stop and Search

There is a need to raise the debate over the use of stop and search as a legitimate policing tactic. Police Officers must be accountable for their performance/action and carry out their duties in a non-discriminatory fashion. The issue of proportionality or disproportionality needs to be considered fully. Sensationalised headlines do nothing to encourage officers to use this power in a constructive and lawful manner, if anything they discourage its use. The only winners from this are the criminals. The statistics against which proportionality or otherwise will be judged need to be accurate and reflective of the transient street population where the search has taken place.

Supervision of Firearms Incidents

The Police Federation of England and Wales welcomes the increased numbers of officers being recruited into the service. In a very short period of time (18months), the service has reversed the reduction to 124,000 officers with an increase to over 130,000 officers today. However the number of supervisors or first line managers has not increased – in fact it has gone down. This will effect the skill and ability of officers to command incidents involving guns.

Training

AFOs complain of insufficient time (resilience) to practice. This is vital. Fortunately the number of times an officer is called upon to shoot is relatively low. With approximately 11,000 armed deployments per year, on average only 6 results in a shot being fired by a police officer. The comparatively low level of death rates from firearms incidents in the UK is a testament to the measured response of police officers.

International Cooperation

Whilst international cooperation has improved significantly following the secondment of officers abroad, care must be taken to ensure that these officers are not tied up in bureaucracy. Increased dialogue with authorities overseas is essential in order to build effective relationships and to ensure that there are complementary benefits to both countries. International cooperation is therefore successful when nations share a common understanding of problems, coupled with an equal commitment to address them.

The building of relationships with the Jamaican authorities in order to prevent the importation of drugs into the UK is an example of how the government and police can work effectively with their partners abroad.

Intelligence Streams

Sharing information and intelligence locally and widely is vital; inter-agency, across borders etc.

We therefore need to ensure that incentives exist for forces and BCU’s to share information and intelligence. This need also apply at an international level. Intelligence will only be shared if we also share common priorities with our international partners. Current performance targets and measurements may discourage such sharing. These problems can be compounded by the language barriers that still exist with some countries - most notably in Eastern Europe, the source of many illicit weapons used in the UK.

Recommendations

Public attitude to guns needs to be addressed. This is not a short-term objective or one with a quick fix. A strategic approach to education, coupled with continued strong enforcement and sanctions is required.

We would welcome an informed public debate in relation to analysing the effects of censoring material that glamorises the use of guns. Moreover, we would wholeheartedly support research that would assist the identification of individuals susceptible to gun culture before they are absorbed and become a part of the problem.

Research into adopting allocation formula for number of Police Authorised Firearm Officers.

International Dimension

Border controls – illegal weapons, improve intelligence and border checks.
Jamaican connection. “Live Fast, Die Young”

Conclusion

Much is said about joined up government. The solution of gun crime in the UK can only be achieved when all agencies - local, regional and national, in conjunction with our partners abroad – share with a common aim to work in concert. This is an absolute priority and is the first step to reverse the present trend in gun crime.

Appendix A: Authorised Firearms Officers per Gun Crime Incident (2001-02)

Appendix B: Change in Authorised Firearms Officers (2000-01 to 2001-02)