§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adults and children have been(a) killed and (b) injured in each of the last five years in incidents arising from the firing of crossbows in (i) public and (ii) private places.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe number of currently recorded homicide offences where the death resulted from the firing of a crossbow for the years 1986 to 1990 are as follows: 1986 nil, 1987 one, 1988 one, 1989 nil, 1990 three—two in one incident. All the victims were adults. It is not known whether the incidents occurred in public or private places. No information is available on the number of accidental deaths involving crossbows nor on incidents involving injuries whether criminal or accidental.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest estimate of the number of crossbows within the United Kingdom; what existing laws cover the purchase and use of crossbows; and what representations he has received from the police and others about new laws covering the use of crossbows, including licensing the ownership of crossbows.
§ Mr. Peter LloydInformation about the number of crossbows in the United Kingdom is not recorded 439W centrally, but I understand from Barnett International, the largest manufacturer of crossbows in the United Kingdom, that its latest estimate of the number of crossbows in circulation is between 250,000 and 300,000.
The Crossbows Act 1987 prohibits the sale of crossbows to, and their purchase by, persons under the age of 17. The Act also makes it an offence for a person under 17 to have a crossbow in his possession, unless under the supervision of someone aged 21 or over. There are a number of other measures that bear upon crossbow misuse against people, property or animals. These include the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, Offences Against the Person Act 1861, the Criminal Damage Act 1971, the Protection of Animals Act 1911, the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981 and the Deer Act 1963.
We have received no representations from the police on crossbow controls since the passage of the Crossbows Act 1987.
In the last 12 months there has been one parliamentary question on crossbow controls. We have also received 21 items of correspondence on this issue from Members of Parliament and six letters from the public broadly favouring some form of further control.