§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged with offences relating to the possession or use of firearms in each district of the Metropolitan police in each year since 1978–79; and what has been the percentage total increase over the full period.
§ Mr. Mellor[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1984, c. 121–22]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the available information relates to cautions and proceedings at magistrates' courts and identifies only those so dealt with for offences under the Firearms Act 1968. This is given in the table for the Metropolitan police district as a whole; information for individual districts is not separately available.
Offences under the Firearms Act 1968*: persons cautioned and court proceedings Metropolitan Police District Number of offences Cautions Proceedings at magistrates' courts 1979 843 1,231 1980 623 1,451 1981 687 1,519 1982 445 1,407 * Principal and non-principal offences.