§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of imitation firearms being used in the course of crime have been reported 274W during each of the past five years for which figures are available in (a) England and Wales and (b) the Metropolitan police district.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe information requested is given in the following table. Figures for England and Wales are published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (table 3.3 of the issue for 1983, Cmnd. 9349) copies of which are in the Library of the House.
Notifiable offences recorded by the police in which imitation firearms were reported to have been used Number of offences England and Wales Metropolitan police district 1979 144 65 1980 161 64 1981 206 88 1982 183 71 1983 167 57
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received advocating the strengthening of legislation governing the use of replica firearms; and what reply he has given.
§ Mr. Giles ShawWe have received a few such representations, generally as part of representations about a range of firearms issues, often in terms suggesting that the writer does not know of the existing controls on replicas.
In reply, we have referred to the present controls and how they apply to the different categories of imitation firearms. It is already an offence to use any imitation firearms to resist arrest or to commit a crime. Heavy penalties apply in such cases. Those which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition are subject to the firearm certificate procedures. We have pointed out, however, that it is not practicable to restrict the sale or use of toy guns since there are already millions in circulation, and such a control would be ineffective because life-like imitations can easily be constructed by those set on a criminal act.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions under the Firearms Act 1982 relating to imitation firearms have been brought since it came into force; and how many such prosecutions have led to convictions.
§ Mr. Giles ShawProsecutions relating to imitation firearms would be brought under the Firearms Acts 1968 and 1982. The information collected centrally on court proceedings (unlike that on notifiable offences recorded by the police) does not distinguish offences involving imitation firearms and such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any examples have been drawn to his attention of imitation weapons which fall outside the scope of the Firearms Act 1982 being used for criminal purposes.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThere have been cases where toy guns, and imitation firearms which were not readily convertible to fire live ammunition, have been used in crime. Such articles are outside the scope of the Firearms Act 1982, but the possession of any imitation firearm while committing an offence is punishable with heavy penalties.