London in fear of rising gun culture

Police chiefs called an urgent meeting after the third fatal shooting of a teenager in London in less than two weeks.

Izvor: AFP

Thursday, 15.02.2007.

11:06

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London in fear of rising gun culture

All the shootings happened within eight-kilometer radius in south London. Two of the victims were black and one mixed race.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair was to discuss the spate of shootings with senior detectives and those from Operation Trident, which specifically investigates gun crime within London's black community.

Concerns have been expressed locally about the apparent growth of gun culture among young people, but the force said crime involving weapons was falling.

Last year, Operation Trident detectives said they had identified a growing trend of "junior sections" within known black street gangs in south London.

They said they were alarmed at the young age of some of those now routinely carrying firearms as either a fashion accessory or to emulate their role models.

Peer pressure and the search for a sense of identity have also been seen as reasons why more young people carry guns.

Police have called for tougher prison sentences for those caught carrying guns in a bid to halt the rise in the number of young teenage gang members wielding firearms.

Currently, anyone aged 21 or over faces a five-year mandatory minimum jail sentence for possessing an illegal gun. But police want to see that raised to seven or even 10 years, and the age limit reduced to 18 at least.

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