§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of recorded incidents involving the use of CS gas as a criminal weapon for the most recent five years for which records are available. [51392]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Statistics of the use of firearms in crime are reported by police forces to the Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate broken down into five categories: air weapons; handguns; rifles; shotguns; and other weapons. The 'others' category usually involves the use of some form of prohibited weapons. To provide the detailed information requested would require a manual search of all the returns provided by forces for each of the last five years.