§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to control the number of guns arriving in the UK from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. [96903]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe Government is aware of the risk of illegal weapons being imported from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Law enforcement agencies are continuing to monitor the situation carefully and are already involved in efforts to reduce the flow of firearms to this country. Those firearms which are smuggled and intended for criminal use in the United Kingdom are often connected with smuggling of other commodities, including drugs and this is another angle that is currently being addressed.
A conference on organised crime in the Balkans was held in London last November at which the matter of firearms trafficking was discussed. The Government is currently considering follow-up actions relating to tighter border controls, increasing police capacity, encouraging intelligence-led policing and improving international co-operation, which will help restrict smuggling.