Rhys Jones: Parents join anti-crime campaign

Sep 29 2007

THE parents of murdered 11-year- old Rhys Jones have backed a new anti-gun crime campaign.

Melanie and Stephen Jones are supporting the Liverpool Unites campaign, which asks for more police and tougher sentences to fight Merseyside’s gun problems.

It comes five weeks after Rhys was gunned down in Croxteth Park on his way home from football practice.

The couple urged everyone in the city to get behind the campaign, which has backing from Merseyside’s Chief Constable, Bernard Hogan-Howe, saying they wanted it to spread throughout Britain.

Mr Jones, 44, said: “We all have to do what we can, no matter how big or small, to make Liverpool a safer place for everyone, not just the kids.

“And it has to be bigger than just Liverpool. There are too many guns on the streets, too many people who can get guns and too many who are willing to use them right across the country.

“Every city and town is suffering, not just Liverpool.

“We all need to show our support and strength against gun crime. We would urge everyone to wear their purple ribbons and show they back the campaign.”

The people of Merseyside are being asked to wear purple ribbons to show their support for the campaign, organised by the Daily Post’s sister paper, the Liverpool Echo.

It calls for:

1,000 more police officers for Merseyside.

A minimum sentence of 10 years for illegal possession of a firearm.

More resources for the witness protection programme to give greater confidence to those prepared to come forward.

Controls to make it much harder for criminals to acquire guns or recommission decommissioned weapons.

Mr Hogan-Howe said all the demands were achievable through the power of a united Merseyside with the strength to influence national political will.

Earlier this week, Mr Jones and his 41-year-old wife, Melanie, spent their 20th wedding anniversary on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme appealing for witnesses.

Mr and Mrs Jones said the 12th birthday present Rhys had been due to open the following day – a mobile phone – was still unwrapped.

Other events planned for the campaign will include a special football tournament in Rhys’s name and events to raise money for a community centre.

Mrs Jones said: “He virtually lived with a football at his feet so to have a tournament in his name is something he would have loved.

“He would have loved more to play in it and go for the trophy.

“We hope the campaign can make changes in the law to make it more of a deterrent for people to have guns or to harbour those they know have them.

“Anything that can be done to change things and get guns off our streets has our full backing.”

The city's Premier League clubs are backing the campaign.

Everton manager David Moyes said: “The campaign is both key and significant and should be supported by everyone who desires a safer world.”

Liverpool man- ager Rafael Benitez said: “When we were asked to sup- port the campaign in Rhys’s name, we were only too happy to do so. I will wear my ribbon to show my support for them and I hope that many other people do the same.”