§ Mr. LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences involving(a) handguns and (b) shotguns and (c) rifles have been committed in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [145726]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe requested details are given in the table.
Number of offences involving: Year Handguns Shotguns and rifles 1990 2,537 1,287 1991 3,430 1,685 1992 4,023 1,581 1993 4,273 1,659 1994 3,087 1,253 1995 3,318 993 1996 3,347 936 1997 2,648 631 1998–991 2,687 685 1999–20001 3,685 760 1 Years ending March, using the new counting rules for recorded crime. Figures before and after 1 April 1998 cannot be directly compared.