Merseyside's police chief attacks judges over gun crime

Mar 25 2008 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

THE Chief Constable of Merseyside police has criticised judges for not imposing tougher sentences for gun crime.

Bernard Hogan-Howe told a national newspaper that the mandatory five-year minimum sentence for possession of a firearm was being ignored.

He said: “The big issue for me is getting guns out of society. There will always be gangs and criminals but today it is a fact that they carry guns which makes them truly intimidating. If we can get the guns out of their hands, then we will make our society safer.

“The message the criminal justice system sends out about the serious consequences that flow from possessing a firearm is an important part of deterring people from carrying guns.”

The chief constable is reported to have said it was “simply wrong” not to impose the five-year prison term, and “very heavy sentences” were needed to stop people carrying guns.

His remarks come seven months after the shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Croxteth last August. Despite a number of arrests, no-one has yet been charged with his murder.