Rhys Jones: Parents meet home secretary

Jan 10 2008

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith met with the parents of murdered schoolboy Rhys Jones today after announcing plans to toughen restrictions on deactivated firearms.

The private meeting with Stephen and Melanie Jones took place during a visit to Merseyside, where the 11-year-old was shot dead last August in a crime which remains unsolved.

The Conservatives said the planned crackdown on deactivated weapons would have only a tiny effect on gun crime.

There are an estimated 120,000 deactivated firearms in the UK but Tories highlighted latest Home Office figures which show such weapons were used in just 0.04% of reported gun crime.

Any new ban would target weapons deactivated before 1995, when new standards were introduced to make it harder to convert non-firing guns back into lethal weapons.

Ms Smith said: “I will shortly consult on a way forward to allow genuine curators to collect legitimate firearms while giving the police and other enforcement agencies the powers they need to get black market firearms off our streets.

“Before 1995 the standards for deactivating guns were less stringent than those which currently apply.

“The police tell me these pre-1995 weapons are turning up more and more in gun related crime and I want to address these concerns to effectively eliminate the threat from our streets.”

Shadow home secretary David Davis said there were four recorded offences in England and Wales in 2005/06 in which a deactivated firearm was used, and a further four incidents involving reactivated weapons, out of a total of 21,521 recorded incidents.

“While we welcome any action, however overdue it may be, to tackle the scourge of gun crime the Government’s own figures show that in 2005/06 there were only eight incidents where deactivated or reactivated weapons were used - just 0.04% of gun offences,” he said.

“We need sustained action to tackle the other 99.96% of this serious problem, bearing in mind that gun violence has increased four-fold over the last 10 years.”

He added: “The Home Secretary should realise that the public want a rigorous, long-term and holistic approach to the scourge of gun-crime, not ad-hoc announcements which will do little more than paper over the cracks.”

However, Association of Chief Police Officers spokeswoman on firearms Sue Fish said: “Deactivated guns account for around 10% of all criminally used firearms submitted to the Forensic Science Service and Acpo welcomes these proposals to outlaw them.”

Instructions to reactivate guns which were supposedly made safe before 1995 could be found on the internet, and even deactivated weapons can still be used to threaten people as imitation firearms, she added.

Football-mad Rhys died in his mother Melanie’s arms after being shot through the neck in a pub car park as he walked home from football practice in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, near to an area known to be frequented by dangerous gangs.

Detectives have repeatedly been given the name of one teenage suspect alleged to be the killer who rode from the scene on a mountain bike and with his hood up.

But no-one has yet been charged with the murder.

Asked about the ongoing investigation the Home Secretary said: “I think the message has to be the police and their partners are doing everything they can to catch the person who killed Rhys, though they can’t do that on their own, we need people to come forward and give information.”

Ms Smith commented on residents’ fears of giving information to detectives leading the murder hunt.

She said she understood witnesses needed to feel safe but there were various measures open to protect them.

“I know the police are working extremely hard to get evidence to find the person who did this,” she said.

“But they need the help of the community.”

Ms Smith’s visit came as police in Liverpool launched a major crackdown on drugs gangs.

Two hundred police officers kicked in doors around the tough Croxteth and Norris Green neighbourhoods and arrested 31 people, seizing four handguns, ammunition, Class A drugs and more than £10,000 in cash.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said of the deactivation plan: “While there are no quick fixes for gun crime, this is a welcome step, especially given the ease with which many older guns can be reactivated.

“If ministers are serious about stopping the flow of guns into Britain they should create an integrated border force with police powers.”

Gill Marshall-Andrews of the Gun Control Network welcomed the move.

“We are delighted. This has been on our agenda for a long time,” she said.

“It is a big loophole in our firearms legislation.”

But firearms collector Julian Tacon said the proposals could have a major impact on legitimate collectors while being ignored by criminals.

He also voiced concerns about the move to include antique weapons in the restrictions.

“This could make life more awkward for legitimate people and collectors,” said Mr Tacon, who has been collecting for 25 years.

“A ban on antique firearms would be very worrying.

“It would affect many, many people and trade worth millions. I would be extremely concerned about that.”