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Gun crime summit 'not solution' Gun minding law coming in early
(about 3 hours later)
The government has been accused of a "knee-jerk" reaction to the recent spate of gun crimes among teenagers. A new offence of getting someone to mind a gun or other weapon will come into effect in England and Wales from 6 April, the Home Secretary has said.
The comments from the Society of Black Lawyers came as Home Secretary John Reid met community leaders and police at a second gun crime summit. The previously-announced measure is being brought in early as a response to a spate of gun crimes in London.
The society said tougher sentences would not address the root causes and the talks were a "photo opportunity". John Reid was speaking at a second summit on gun crime with community leaders and police.
The government said it was important to make further "progress" after three youths were murdered in London. The Society of Black Lawyers accused ministers of a "knee-jerk" reaction which ignored gun crime's root causes.
The Home Office said gun crime had fallen by 14% in England and Wales in the 12 months to September last year. Mr Reid said: "These roundtable events provide a real opportunity for people living in communities affected by gun crime to influence our work in this vital area."
The summit would help "make a difference to individuals and communities", it added. He also said an order to extend the minimum five-year mandatory sentence for possession of an illegal firearm to those aged 18-21 would be laid before parliament shortly.
A previous meeting hosted by Tony Blair at Downing Street, proposed extending the mandatory minimum sentences for carrying guns to those aged under 21 and outlined more funding for community groups.
The time has come to invest in young people, to remove the poverty which is the breeding ground for serious gun and drugs crime Peter HerbertThe time has come to invest in young people, to remove the poverty which is the breeding ground for serious gun and drugs crime Peter Herbert
The Society of Black Lawyers said the demand for Class A drugs was the fundamental cause of gun crime among teenage gangs. The new offence of minding aims to target gang members who seek to avoid prosecution by getting others to hold their weapons.
Funding to help community groups tackle gang-related crime was outlined at the first summit hosted by Tony Blair at Downing Street.
The Society of Black Lawyers said tougher sentences would not address the root causes and described the summits as a "photo opportunity".
It said the demand for Class A drugs was the fundamental cause of gun crime among teenage gangs.
Chairman Peter Herbert said: "The time has come to invest in young people, to remove the poverty which is the breeding ground for serious gun and drugs crime, to begin pilot studies to treat the addicts which feed the drugs market in Britain and make it totally uneconomic for hard drugs to be traded on our streets".Chairman Peter Herbert said: "The time has come to invest in young people, to remove the poverty which is the breeding ground for serious gun and drugs crime, to begin pilot studies to treat the addicts which feed the drugs market in Britain and make it totally uneconomic for hard drugs to be traded on our streets".
He said the sale and ownership of all replica weapons needed to be banned and called for "real alternatives" to imprisonment.He said the sale and ownership of all replica weapons needed to be banned and called for "real alternatives" to imprisonment.