Major changes needed to tackle gun crime

Metropolitan Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said that law enforcement is just a holding position in dealing with gun crime and there needs to be a “major shift” in public policy to tackle the issue.

Speaking at the Recipes for Partnership conference in Nottingham, Sir Ian acknowledged huge disquiet over London’s gun problems but said there needs to be better understanding of the rising cohort of young people who feel safer in a gang than when not in a gang.

“In London, things are getting worse,” he said. “The age of children possessing guns is getting younger.

“We can go on enforcing, arresting, but that is not the solution.”

Sir Ian likened policing to standing at the riverbank and pulling people to safety. “At some point you have to go upstream to see who is throwing them in,” he said. Tackling gun crime will mean looking into disfunction, disadvantage and a lack of role models.

“This leads you to how far up the riverbank the police should go. And is it a police issue or a partner issue?

“If you have a gang member at 17, their young brothers and sisters are at huge risk of becoming involved in gangs. This would mean a huge shift in public policy to deal with it.”

Sir Ian said this includes thinking about resourcing differently and acting as partners to tackle the issue.

“We face a determined decision to go upstream as a group, as a set of concerned people for the 10 and 11 year olds, before they reach 16 with guns in their hands.”

London has seen an increase in gun related incidents this year. Between April and August this year there has been a 17 per cent increase in gun-enabled crime and more than 10 per cent increase in homicide rates.