United Kingdom Threat Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime 2003
7. Firearms
The scale of the threat
7.1 Since 1946 there have been six firearm amnesties in the UK, the most
recent in 2003. As a result, in excess of 250,000 guns have been removed
from circulation. Following Dunblane, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997
and Firearms (Amendment) (No 2) Act 1997 generally prohibited handguns of
.22 calibre or above. Estimates of the number of illegally held firearms
have ranged between 200,000 and four million (both estimates were given to
the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1996), the wide disparity resulting
from the lack of consistent data and intelligence collection and collation
of firearms. While the scale of illegal possession may be difficult to
estimate, the indications are that sufficient numbers of firearms or
potential firearms (through reactivation or conversion) are in circulation
in the UK and readily available to supply the current level of criminal
demand for weapons.
7.2 Criminal possession and use of firearms is rising (reported crimes
involving firearms increased by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2002),
particularly in London and other urban areas. Nonetheless, the most recent
figures show that crime involving firearms comprises only 0.4 per cent of
all recorded crime, half of which involves air weapons. While this figure
is relatively low, there is considerable public concern about the
possession and use of firearms by criminals, and their actual or
threatened use poses a real threat to law enforcement officers, as well as
making the criminal world more volatile. The criminal use of firearms also
comes with a high cost in terms of judicial, prison and health services,
as well as police expenditure and other indirect costs.
The types of illegally-held firearms
Unmodified or genuine firearms
7.3 Prior to the 1997 amendment to firearms legislation many thousands of
handguns were held in the UK, both legally and illegally. It is unlikely
that firearms in criminal possession were handed in and thus they remain
in circulation, providing criminals with a pool of available weapons. The
grey market, comprising old service weapons, battlefield souvenirs (both
old weapons and modern weapons recently illegally imported) and illegal
collections maintained by firearms enthusiasts, is also a potential source
of genuine firearms for criminals, as is the theft of legally held
firearms. The apparent increase in the possession and use of reactivated,
converted and replica firearms, and the fact that some firearms are
offered for hire, might suggest that there are too few genuine firearms in
the UK to satisfy criminal demand. Alternatively, criminals may be
encouraged to look for alternatives to genuine firearms for reasons of
cost, due to a lack of suitable contacts, or because of calculation of the
risks.
Reactivated firearms
7.4 The standards of deactivation set down in 1988 as a basis for showing
that a weapon was no longer a firearm were minimal. In 1995, a stringent
deactivation standard was imposed, but not retrospectively. One estimate
places the number of firearms in the UK deactivated to the 1988 standard
and capable of being reactivated with a minimum of skill and equipment at
120,000. Over recent years, the number of arrests involving illegally
reactivated handguns and machine pistols had suggested a possible increase
in possession of such weapons by criminals. However, recent data from the
Metropolitan Police Service points to a reduction in the number
reactivated firearms being seized, which may suggest that the pool of
available firearms deactivated to the pre-1995 standard is diminishing.
This is difficult to prove, however, not least because the source of
recovered reactivated weapons is often not traced. What is clear is that
the reactivation of firearms deactivated to the 1988 standard is within
the capabilities of many criminals, including some who sell this service
to associates, and that the necessary component parts can be readily
acquired, including via the internet.
Converted firearms
7.5 The possession of blank-firing or air weapons is not controlled by a
system of certification and these firearms can be purchased from trade
fairs, specialist retailers, and over the internet without proof of
identity. Many can be converted into working firearms using simple
engineering techniques. There have been substantial police recoveries of
converted firearms. The most frequently recovered have been the blank
firing Remington Derringer, altered to fire live rounds, and the Brocock
air cartridge revolver which, when converted, becomes a revolver with a
five or six shot powder cartridge. The apparent ease with which such
firearms are acquired and converted has led to them being described as an
entry-level firearm for criminals who are insufficiently networked to
acquire a genuine firearm. However, the relative cost of a converted
weapon may encourage some criminals to choose one in preference to a
genuine weapon.
Replica firearms
7.6 There are various types of replica firearms, from toys to non-
functioning imitations. Since 1999, the replica firearms market has
doubled in value and is now estimated to be worth almost £10 million. It
is not possible to say what proportion of this rise is due to the use of
replica firearms by criminals. However, replica firearms were involved in
1,201 recorded offences in England and Wales in 2001-2002, and seizures of
replica firearms by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2002 increased by
almost 50 per cent on the previous year. Replica firearms are in most
cases indistinguishable from genuine firearms by both victims and law
enforcement officers responding to incidents, many of which require the
deployment of armed officers. Since the threat to use a firearm is often
sufficient in the case of street robberies, some robbers may choose to use
a replica gun rather than a real one, calculating that the sentence if
caught would be lighter. Lower level criminals may use replicas because
they cannot acquire or afford genuine firearms, while replica firearms are
readily available as they can be purchased legally.
Disguised firearms
7.7 Although in very small numbers, various forms of disguised firearms
have been recovered in the UK including firearms disguised as
screwdrivers, cigarette packets and lighters, pens, belt buckles, and a
firearm disguised as a mobile phone which has the capacity to fire four
bullets. Such firearms tend to have limited range and accuracy, and
frequently only a one or two shot capacity. However, they are becoming
more sophisticated. For example, in the past, firearms disguised as mobile
phones could be readily identified by the use of fabricated network or
manufacturer names. Criminals have started using genuine names to improve
the disguise. Likewise the manufacture of disguised weapons was previously
limited to Central and Eastern European countries, for example Bulgaria,
Croatia and Slovenia. Recently, intelligence has suggested that they are
being manufactured more widely throughout Europe.
The availability of ammunition
7.8 The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 limited the legitimate market for
ammunition for small arms in the UK. A firearms licence is required to buy
or possess a complete round, but an anomaly in legislation allows the
purchase and possession of the component parts of ammunition without a
licence. This has led to cases where criminal armourers in possession of
the component parts of ammunition have escaped prosecution. Firearms have
a long useable life, but ammunition needs to be regularly replaced. It is
unclear how easy criminals find it to obtain ammunition. There are various
possible sources. These include commercially manufactured ammunition;
reloaded ammunition (where used cartridge cases are assembled with new
primer, powder and projectiles to create a live round); ammunition adapted
to fit a larger calibre firearm (by wrapping Clingfilm around the round);
and ammunition manufactured in criminal factories and by specialists.
Possession and use of firearms by organised criminals
The use of violence and intimidation
7.9 Organised criminals often use violence and intimidation when
conducting their criminal business in order to protect their interests and
those of their group. The evidence suggests they are most likely to
threaten to use firearms against other criminals, close associates or
members of their own community in a show of strength or in response to
some failing, challenge or slight. Knowledge of the possession and use of
firearms is drawn from both intelligence and seizures. The picture is
patchy. Intelligence regarding firearms is sometimes gathered in the
course of law enforcement investigations, especially drug investigations,
but is often not followed up as it is only of peripheral interest to the
investigators. The unwillingness of victims of 'criminal-on-criminal'
firearms use to cooperate with law enforcement also creates an
intelligence gap. This reluctance may be caused by fear of reprisal or a
desire to pursue the matter themselves, but, whatever the motive, it
impedes the investigation and prosecution of a significant proportion of
offenders.
'Black-on-black' firearms crime
7.10 The possession and use of firearms in 'black-on-black' crime,
particularly in London and Manchester, has sparked public concern both in
local communities and nationally as a result of a number of high profile
incidents. There has been a significant police response, which has led to
seizures of unmodified, reactivated and converted firearms, as well as
replicas. There is intelligence that firearms are available for hire, and
some are sold by one criminal to another after having been used in a
crime, rather than abandoned. The criminals responsible are of African-
Caribbean/West Indian origin (although many were born in Britain), and are
often incorrectly described as Yardies. They appear quick to resort to
firearms to settle disputes over territory or drugs markets, or in clashes
with members of rival gangs. A number of factors encourage this behaviour.
These include the existence of a gun culture in which possession of
firearms is related to image and machismo, meaning that members at all
levels of a criminal group or gang are likely to possess a firearm. There
is also an apparent lack of concern about drawing themselves to the
attention of the police by the use of firearms, and a tendency to use
firearms, rather than merely threaten with them, when enforcing drug
debts, even when the sums concerned are small. In addition, firearms are
used to punish perceived 'dis' (disrespect) to the criminal, his
associates or family members, which in turn can lead to vendettas and
further firearms incidents.
Turkish organised crime groups
7.11 Turkish organised criminals involved in trafficking heroin have the
means to smuggle firearms into the UK should they wish. Although firearms
have been smuggled into the UK with drugs, sometimes having been added as
a bonus by overseas suppliers, there is little evidence that this is
happening on a large scale, and it seems most likely that firearms
imported in this way are intended for use by those smuggling them rather
than for resale to other criminals. In the UK and elsewhere in Europe,
possession and use of firearms by Turkish groups had deliberately been
limited to senior members of the group, in order to reduce the threat to
their leadership and also to avoid attracting greater attention from law
enforcement. However, some Turkish organised criminals now seem to be less
concerned about the latter, and more prepared to use firearms to deal with
threats from rivals, to avoid detection or apprehension and thereby
protect themselves against long prison sentences for drug trafficking.
There appears to be an escalation both in the numbers of firearms
possessed by such groups and in the types of firearm, with the possession
of semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms becoming more common.
Use of firearms in robberies by organised and other criminals
7.12 Robbery offences reportedly involving firearms rose by a third
between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Incidents within the Metropolitan Police
District accounted for around half of this increase. Initial data from the
Metropolitan Police Service for 2002-2003 indicates that the growth in the
reported use of firearms in robberies and assaults in London is
continuing. There are two main types of armed robbery. The first, which in
some instances are used to fund other serious criminal activity, such as
drugs trafficking, involves organised criminals. These robberies are
usually professionally planned and involve the use of real firearms. The
second type involves lower level criminals, for example young street
robbers, who attack cash-in-transit deliveries, smaller retailers and
members of the public. Although the individual sums stolen in this second
category may be small, the numbers of such attacks mean that the overall
losses are considerable. Between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, the number of
armed robberies on public highways, including attacks on security vans and
street robberies, increased by almost half (47 percent). In over two-
thirds of all reported armed robberies the weapon used was described as a
handgun. However, unless a weapon is fired or recovered it is not normally
possible to know with any confidence what type of weapon was used, and
almost impossible to determine whether it was real or a replica.
Sources of illegal firearms
Registered firearms dealers
7.13 Criminals obtain firearms from a variety of sources. Registered
firearms dealers, including repairers, retailers and those who provide
storage and warehousing, may be corrupted, coerced or duped into providing
criminals with weapons and ammunition. Police and HM Customs and Excise
investigators have uncovered a number of instances where prohibited
firearms and ammunition that have been legally purchased and imported by
registered firearms dealers have found their way into criminal hands.
Where the registered dealer has acted corruptly this has involved
manipulating records to hide the diversion of firearms or ammunition;
producing duplicate paperwork to allow the cloning of weapons; receiving
shipments from suppliers that contain additional firearms not shown on the
manifest; and 'losing' firearms between import and export.
Smuggling of illegal firearms
7.14 The relatively small numbers of firearms seized at importation
suggest that it is unlikely that criminal demand is being met to any
significant degree by the smuggling of genuine firearms into the UK. In
the year to 31 March 2003, HM Customs and Excise seized 264 illegally
imported firearms, of which 126 were handguns. HM Customs and Excise
assesses that around 20 percent of the hand guns and automatic weapons
seized were intended for criminal use, while the majority related to
inaccurate licences for importation or people unaware that their
importation was illegal, together with importations by military personnel
of 'trophies' from overseas military theatres, such as Afghanistan. There
are already indications of a similar problem related to the conflict in
Iraq.
7.15 While there is a shortage of hard evidence, the possible ways in
which smuggling of firearms could take place are easy to imagine. Some
organised criminals may have been attracted to firearms trafficking
because of the profits to be made, mostly overseas. Others, who are
principally involved in trafficking drugs or other commodities, could use
the concealment techniques and expertise used to smuggle drugs into the UK
to bring in firearms, either separately or as part of a mixed load. There
is conflicting intelligence regarding the quantities of firearms smuggled
in this way, but it appears that most are for use by the smugglers
themselves. Firearms may also be smuggled, perhaps one at a time and for
personal use or as a collector's piece, using routes where the risk of
detection is perceived to be low. Illegal importation using the postal
system or parcel couriers is a concern. Firearms sent by ordinary post not
only cost less to import but are anonymous due to the large amounts of
post arriving in the UK daily. Between five and ten packages containing
suspect firearms or components requiring further enquiries are detected
per day on average.
Source countries for illegal firearms
7.16 Recoveries have been made in the UK of illegal firearms originating
from Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Croatia and Switzerland,
and especially the USA. There has also been an increase in firearms traced
to Central and Eastern European countries. However, firearms are produced
all over the world and can be obtained almost anywhere. The UN protocol
against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their
Parts and Components and Ammunition, passed in May 2001, outlines measures
to be taken by signatory countries to combat criminal possession of
firearms. It includes the destruction by governments of surplus military
and law enforcement firearms, rather than their sale, to ensure that such
weaponry does not reach the black market. This may encourage the disposal
of supplies before the protocol is incorporated into law in each signatory
country. In this context, in 2002, HM Customs and Excise made a seizure of
illegally imported firearms, still in their original packaging and unused
but manufactured in the 1950s, which were believed to originated from
surplus outdated stock belonging to a foreign government.
http://www.ncis.co.uk/ukta/2003/threat07.asp
7. Firearms
The scale of the threat
7.1 Since 1946 there have been six firearm amnesties in the UK, the most
recent in 2003. As a result, in excess of 250,000 guns have been removed
from circulation. Following Dunblane, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997
and Firearms (Amendment) (No 2) Act 1997 generally prohibited handguns of
.22 calibre or above. Estimates of the number of illegally held firearms
have ranged between 200,000 and four million (both estimates were given to
the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1996), the wide disparity resulting
from the lack of consistent data and intelligence collection and collation
of firearms. While the scale of illegal possession may be difficult to
estimate, the indications are that sufficient numbers of firearms or
potential firearms (through reactivation or conversion) are in circulation
in the UK and readily available to supply the current level of criminal
demand for weapons.
7.2 Criminal possession and use of firearms is rising (reported crimes
involving firearms increased by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2002),
particularly in London and other urban areas. Nonetheless, the most recent
figures show that crime involving firearms comprises only 0.4 per cent of
all recorded crime, half of which involves air weapons. While this figure
is relatively low, there is considerable public concern about the
possession and use of firearms by criminals, and their actual or
threatened use poses a real threat to law enforcement officers, as well as
making the criminal world more volatile. The criminal use of firearms also
comes with a high cost in terms of judicial, prison and health services,
as well as police expenditure and other indirect costs.
The types of illegally-held firearms
Unmodified or genuine firearms
7.3 Prior to the 1997 amendment to firearms legislation many thousands of
handguns were held in the UK, both legally and illegally. It is unlikely
that firearms in criminal possession were handed in and thus they remain
in circulation, providing criminals with a pool of available weapons. The
grey market, comprising old service weapons, battlefield souvenirs (both
old weapons and modern weapons recently illegally imported) and illegal
collections maintained by firearms enthusiasts, is also a potential source
of genuine firearms for criminals, as is the theft of legally held
firearms. The apparent increase in the possession and use of reactivated,
converted and replica firearms, and the fact that some firearms are
offered for hire, might suggest that there are too few genuine firearms in
the UK to satisfy criminal demand. Alternatively, criminals may be
encouraged to look for alternatives to genuine firearms for reasons of
cost, due to a lack of suitable contacts, or because of calculation of the
risks.
Reactivated firearms
7.4 The standards of deactivation set down in 1988 as a basis for showing
that a weapon was no longer a firearm were minimal. In 1995, a stringent
deactivation standard was imposed, but not retrospectively. One estimate
places the number of firearms in the UK deactivated to the 1988 standard
and capable of being reactivated with a minimum of skill and equipment at
120,000. Over recent years, the number of arrests involving illegally
reactivated handguns and machine pistols had suggested a possible increase
in possession of such weapons by criminals. However, recent data from the
Metropolitan Police Service points to a reduction in the number
reactivated firearms being seized, which may suggest that the pool of
available firearms deactivated to the pre-1995 standard is diminishing.
This is difficult to prove, however, not least because the source of
recovered reactivated weapons is often not traced. What is clear is that
the reactivation of firearms deactivated to the 1988 standard is within
the capabilities of many criminals, including some who sell this service
to associates, and that the necessary component parts can be readily
acquired, including via the internet.
Converted firearms
7.5 The possession of blank-firing or air weapons is not controlled by a
system of certification and these firearms can be purchased from trade
fairs, specialist retailers, and over the internet without proof of
identity. Many can be converted into working firearms using simple
engineering techniques. There have been substantial police recoveries of
converted firearms. The most frequently recovered have been the blank
firing Remington Derringer, altered to fire live rounds, and the Brocock
air cartridge revolver which, when converted, becomes a revolver with a
five or six shot powder cartridge. The apparent ease with which such
firearms are acquired and converted has led to them being described as an
entry-level firearm for criminals who are insufficiently networked to
acquire a genuine firearm. However, the relative cost of a converted
weapon may encourage some criminals to choose one in preference to a
genuine weapon.
Replica firearms
7.6 There are various types of replica firearms, from toys to non-
functioning imitations. Since 1999, the replica firearms market has
doubled in value and is now estimated to be worth almost £10 million. It
is not possible to say what proportion of this rise is due to the use of
replica firearms by criminals. However, replica firearms were involved in
1,201 recorded offences in England and Wales in 2001-2002, and seizures of
replica firearms by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2002 increased by
almost 50 per cent on the previous year. Replica firearms are in most
cases indistinguishable from genuine firearms by both victims and law
enforcement officers responding to incidents, many of which require the
deployment of armed officers. Since the threat to use a firearm is often
sufficient in the case of street robberies, some robbers may choose to use
a replica gun rather than a real one, calculating that the sentence if
caught would be lighter. Lower level criminals may use replicas because
they cannot acquire or afford genuine firearms, while replica firearms are
readily available as they can be purchased legally.
Disguised firearms
7.7 Although in very small numbers, various forms of disguised firearms
have been recovered in the UK including firearms disguised as
screwdrivers, cigarette packets and lighters, pens, belt buckles, and a
firearm disguised as a mobile phone which has the capacity to fire four
bullets. Such firearms tend to have limited range and accuracy, and
frequently only a one or two shot capacity. However, they are becoming
more sophisticated. For example, in the past, firearms disguised as mobile
phones could be readily identified by the use of fabricated network or
manufacturer names. Criminals have started using genuine names to improve
the disguise. Likewise the manufacture of disguised weapons was previously
limited to Central and Eastern European countries, for example Bulgaria,
Croatia and Slovenia. Recently, intelligence has suggested that they are
being manufactured more widely throughout Europe.
The availability of ammunition
7.8 The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 limited the legitimate market for
ammunition for small arms in the UK. A firearms licence is required to buy
or possess a complete round, but an anomaly in legislation allows the
purchase and possession of the component parts of ammunition without a
licence. This has led to cases where criminal armourers in possession of
the component parts of ammunition have escaped prosecution. Firearms have
a long useable life, but ammunition needs to be regularly replaced. It is
unclear how easy criminals find it to obtain ammunition. There are various
possible sources. These include commercially manufactured ammunition;
reloaded ammunition (where used cartridge cases are assembled with new
primer, powder and projectiles to create a live round); ammunition adapted
to fit a larger calibre firearm (by wrapping Clingfilm around the round);
and ammunition manufactured in criminal factories and by specialists.
Possession and use of firearms by organised criminals
The use of violence and intimidation
7.9 Organised criminals often use violence and intimidation when
conducting their criminal business in order to protect their interests and
those of their group. The evidence suggests they are most likely to
threaten to use firearms against other criminals, close associates or
members of their own community in a show of strength or in response to
some failing, challenge or slight. Knowledge of the possession and use of
firearms is drawn from both intelligence and seizures. The picture is
patchy. Intelligence regarding firearms is sometimes gathered in the
course of law enforcement investigations, especially drug investigations,
but is often not followed up as it is only of peripheral interest to the
investigators. The unwillingness of victims of 'criminal-on-criminal'
firearms use to cooperate with law enforcement also creates an
intelligence gap. This reluctance may be caused by fear of reprisal or a
desire to pursue the matter themselves, but, whatever the motive, it
impedes the investigation and prosecution of a significant proportion of
offenders.
'Black-on-black' firearms crime
7.10 The possession and use of firearms in 'black-on-black' crime,
particularly in London and Manchester, has sparked public concern both in
local communities and nationally as a result of a number of high profile
incidents. There has been a significant police response, which has led to
seizures of unmodified, reactivated and converted firearms, as well as
replicas. There is intelligence that firearms are available for hire, and
some are sold by one criminal to another after having been used in a
crime, rather than abandoned. The criminals responsible are of African-
Caribbean/West Indian origin (although many were born in Britain), and are
often incorrectly described as Yardies. They appear quick to resort to
firearms to settle disputes over territory or drugs markets, or in clashes
with members of rival gangs. A number of factors encourage this behaviour.
These include the existence of a gun culture in which possession of
firearms is related to image and machismo, meaning that members at all
levels of a criminal group or gang are likely to possess a firearm. There
is also an apparent lack of concern about drawing themselves to the
attention of the police by the use of firearms, and a tendency to use
firearms, rather than merely threaten with them, when enforcing drug
debts, even when the sums concerned are small. In addition, firearms are
used to punish perceived 'dis' (disrespect) to the criminal, his
associates or family members, which in turn can lead to vendettas and
further firearms incidents.
Turkish organised crime groups
7.11 Turkish organised criminals involved in trafficking heroin have the
means to smuggle firearms into the UK should they wish. Although firearms
have been smuggled into the UK with drugs, sometimes having been added as
a bonus by overseas suppliers, there is little evidence that this is
happening on a large scale, and it seems most likely that firearms
imported in this way are intended for use by those smuggling them rather
than for resale to other criminals. In the UK and elsewhere in Europe,
possession and use of firearms by Turkish groups had deliberately been
limited to senior members of the group, in order to reduce the threat to
their leadership and also to avoid attracting greater attention from law
enforcement. However, some Turkish organised criminals now seem to be less
concerned about the latter, and more prepared to use firearms to deal with
threats from rivals, to avoid detection or apprehension and thereby
protect themselves against long prison sentences for drug trafficking.
There appears to be an escalation both in the numbers of firearms
possessed by such groups and in the types of firearm, with the possession
of semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms becoming more common.
Use of firearms in robberies by organised and other criminals
7.12 Robbery offences reportedly involving firearms rose by a third
between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Incidents within the Metropolitan Police
District accounted for around half of this increase. Initial data from the
Metropolitan Police Service for 2002-2003 indicates that the growth in the
reported use of firearms in robberies and assaults in London is
continuing. There are two main types of armed robbery. The first, which in
some instances are used to fund other serious criminal activity, such as
drugs trafficking, involves organised criminals. These robberies are
usually professionally planned and involve the use of real firearms. The
second type involves lower level criminals, for example young street
robbers, who attack cash-in-transit deliveries, smaller retailers and
members of the public. Although the individual sums stolen in this second
category may be small, the numbers of such attacks mean that the overall
losses are considerable. Between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, the number of
armed robberies on public highways, including attacks on security vans and
street robberies, increased by almost half (47 percent). In over two-
thirds of all reported armed robberies the weapon used was described as a
handgun. However, unless a weapon is fired or recovered it is not normally
possible to know with any confidence what type of weapon was used, and
almost impossible to determine whether it was real or a replica.
Sources of illegal firearms
Registered firearms dealers
7.13 Criminals obtain firearms from a variety of sources. Registered
firearms dealers, including repairers, retailers and those who provide
storage and warehousing, may be corrupted, coerced or duped into providing
criminals with weapons and ammunition. Police and HM Customs and Excise
investigators have uncovered a number of instances where prohibited
firearms and ammunition that have been legally purchased and imported by
registered firearms dealers have found their way into criminal hands.
Where the registered dealer has acted corruptly this has involved
manipulating records to hide the diversion of firearms or ammunition;
producing duplicate paperwork to allow the cloning of weapons; receiving
shipments from suppliers that contain additional firearms not shown on the
manifest; and 'losing' firearms between import and export.
Smuggling of illegal firearms
7.14 The relatively small numbers of firearms seized at importation
suggest that it is unlikely that criminal demand is being met to any
significant degree by the smuggling of genuine firearms into the UK. In
the year to 31 March 2003, HM Customs and Excise seized 264 illegally
imported firearms, of which 126 were handguns. HM Customs and Excise
assesses that around 20 percent of the hand guns and automatic weapons
seized were intended for criminal use, while the majority related to
inaccurate licences for importation or people unaware that their
importation was illegal, together with importations by military personnel
of 'trophies' from overseas military theatres, such as Afghanistan. There
are already indications of a similar problem related to the conflict in
Iraq.
7.15 While there is a shortage of hard evidence, the possible ways in
which smuggling of firearms could take place are easy to imagine. Some
organised criminals may have been attracted to firearms trafficking
because of the profits to be made, mostly overseas. Others, who are
principally involved in trafficking drugs or other commodities, could use
the concealment techniques and expertise used to smuggle drugs into the UK
to bring in firearms, either separately or as part of a mixed load. There
is conflicting intelligence regarding the quantities of firearms smuggled
in this way, but it appears that most are for use by the smugglers
themselves. Firearms may also be smuggled, perhaps one at a time and for
personal use or as a collector's piece, using routes where the risk of
detection is perceived to be low. Illegal importation using the postal
system or parcel couriers is a concern. Firearms sent by ordinary post not
only cost less to import but are anonymous due to the large amounts of
post arriving in the UK daily. Between five and ten packages containing
suspect firearms or components requiring further enquiries are detected
per day on average.
Source countries for illegal firearms
7.16 Recoveries have been made in the UK of illegal firearms originating
from Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Croatia and Switzerland,
and especially the USA. There has also been an increase in firearms traced
to Central and Eastern European countries. However, firearms are produced
all over the world and can be obtained almost anywhere. The UN protocol
against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their
Parts and Components and Ammunition, passed in May 2001, outlines measures
to be taken by signatory countries to combat criminal possession of
firearms. It includes the destruction by governments of surplus military
and law enforcement firearms, rather than their sale, to ensure that such
weaponry does not reach the black market. This may encourage the disposal
of supplies before the protocol is incorporated into law in each signatory
country. In this context, in 2002, HM Customs and Excise made a seizure of
illegally imported firearms, still in their original packaging and unused
but manufactured in the 1950s, which were believed to originated from
surplus outdated stock belonging to a foreign government.
http://www.ncis.co.uk/ukta/2003/threat07.asp
