HC Deb 03 November 1988 vol 139 cc1165-7
3. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the result of the recent firearms amnesty.

7. Mr. Gerald Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many weapons have been recovered under the recent firearms amnesty; and if he will make a statement.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Douglas Hogg)

The firearms amnesty held in England and Wales in September netted 42,725 firearms and 1,511,000 rounds of ammunition. Some 4,280 other offensive weapons were also handed in to the police. This response compares very favourably with the last appeal made in 1968, when some 25,000 firearms and 795,000 rounds of ammunition were surrendered. The outcome of the amnesty represents a substantial success in removing from circulation those illegally held and unwanted guns, which might otherwise have fallen into irresponsible or criminal hands.

I shall publish in the Official Report a summary of firearms, ammunition and other weapons surrendered to the police during the amnesty, by police force area.

Sir Michael McNair-Wilson

The House will be delighted to have those figures. Has my hon. Friend any theory to explain why the amnesty, although of only a month's duration, was so much more successful than the one in 1968? Does he think that it owes anything to a reaction against what happened in Hungerford in the summer of 1987?

Summary of firearms and other weapons and ammunition surrendered to the police during the firearms amnesty September 1988 by police force area
England and Wales Number of items surrendered
Total firearms
Police force area Firearms Shotguns Other firearms All Total other weapons Total rounds of ammunition
Avon and Somerset 832 378 239 1,449 76 46,096
Bedfordshire 213 285 100 598 6 10,901
Cambridgeshire 284 201 86 571 112 23,973
Cheshire 492 214 178 884 95 24,999
Cleveland 164 90 86 340 15 11,007
Cumbria 291 249 62 602 37 26,162
Derbyshire 345 172 100 617 56 17,159
Devon and Cornwall 1,284 808 321 2,413 539 104,441
Dorset 686 349 256 1,291 199 62,355
Durham 216 79 84 379 25 10,335
Essex 676 397 190 1,263 64 130,000
Gloucestershire 381 203 80 664 50 29,867
Greater Manchester 703 198 510 1,411 46 51,149
Hampshire 1,219 566 404 2,189 176 83,426
Hertfordshire 418 135 166 719 165 37,227
Humberside 302 141 118 561 159 18,069
Kent 812 369 201 1,382 136 52,124
Lancashire 581 299 253 1,133 234 40,813
Leicestershire 455 208 138 801 172 34,308
Lincolnshire 420 274 142 836 129 32,352
London, City of 23 2 4 29 — 6,507
Merseyside 563 172 310 1,045 67 28,266
Metropolitan Police District 2,092 545 897 3,534 12 117,112
Norfolk 419 348 110 877 26 27,204
Northamptonshire 249 124 122 495 34 15,085
Northumbria 649 188 201 1,038 2 57,036
North Yorkshire 471 356 106 933 62 24,133
Nottinghamshire 417 175 171 763 114 17,873
Mr. Hogg

I think that my hon. Friend is right. The tragedy at Hungerford focused attention on the unlawful possession of firearms. I also think that the amnesty's success was one of the consequential advantages of the Firearms Bill, which received its approval in the House last night.

Mr. Bowden

I know that the public at large will be reassured by what my hon. Friend has said about the success of the firearms amnesty. Could he now give additional reassurance by saying when the increased penalties provided by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 for crimes committed by someone carrying a firearm will be implemented?

Mr. Hogg

Provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 that came into force at the end of September raise the maximum sentence for illegal possession of a shotgun to three years' imprisonment following conviction on indictment, and the maximum sentence for carrying firearms while committing a crime to life imprisonment.

Mr. Tony Banks

I agree that there is an amazing collection of surrendered weapons and ammunition: perhaps we can expect a reduction in the Defence Estimates because of it.

I know that this is probably a difficult question, but in view of the number and range of weapons collected, has the Department any idea how many are still around, perhaps waiting to be collected?

Mr. Hogg

The weapons were held unlawfully and without certificate. It is therefore not possible to say how many are still held unlawfully and without certificate.

Following is the information:

Total firearms
Police force area Firearms Shotguns Other firearms All Total other weapons Total rounds of ammunition
South Yorkshire 342 116 96 554 131 17,943
Staffordshire 314 197 145 656 39 19,131
Suffolk 418 347 111 876 57 28,906
Surrey 681 269 149 1,099 50 128,000
Sussex 1,043 417 395 1,855 133 57,044
Thames Valley 893 429 248 1,570 165 51,334
Warwickshire 233 125 59 417 124 17,648
West Mercia 656 383 169 1,208 169 56,626
West Midlands 708 236 329 1,273 235 49,984
West Yorkshire 607 198 352 1,157 120 19,361
Wiltshire 384 204 127 715 37 35,865
Dyfed Powys 322 246 27 595 34 20,108
Gwent 205 100 52 357 24 15,063
North Wales 359 247 86 692 95 19,938
South Wales 532 215 137 884 59 33,777
All forces 23,354 11,254 8,117 42,725 4,280 11,511,000
1 Estimate.