Raivohulluutta britteinsaarilla...

[Vieras 1*]

Political big guns back shooting

14th July 2005

The new Rural Affairs minister Jim Knight MP has given his backing to shooting at a ministerial briefing organised by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) IPC magazines and the Royal Berkshire Shooting School this week.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Knight said "The Labour manifesto commitment on shooting is a commitment that the sport will flourish. The Government recognises its role and that of game shooting in particular, to the rural economy and values its contribution to environmental protection and land management." In television interviews on the day Mr. Knight said "We are absolutely pro-shooting".

Guests shot clays in the magnificent setting of the Royal Berkshire Shooting School, before BASC's chief executive, John Swift, chaired a question and answer session between politicians and shooters. Issues raised included the pistols ban and its effect on the 2012 Olympics, the Home Office Firearms Review and the League Against Cruel Sports' attack on legally set snares.

In his opening remarks the Minister said there are many issues on the agenda which affect shooting and the government wants to build a constructive dialogue with representative organisations. On the Olympic Games Martin Salter said the Government is reviewing existing legislation with a view to ease restrictions and allow competitors to practice in the UK. He encouraged the shooting associations to work with Ministers to achieve this. On the firearms review Stephen Pound said that it was "essential to ensure that legitimate shooting sports are not swept up in the backlash against gun crime." On snaring the Minster said that legal snares are a "useful management tool" and he was committed to allowing their use to continue.

Jim Knight was joined by Stephen Pound MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Home Office, Martin Salter MP, the government advisor on shooting sports, Mark Tami MP for Alyn and Deeside and by senior civil servants from Defra and the Home Office.

Representatives of sporting shooting included senior figures from the Country Land and Business Association, the National Gamekeepers Organisation, the Countryside Alliance and target shooting associations.

BASC plans to hold a similar briefing for Opposition parties.

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/political_big_guns_back_s

[Vieras 1*]

Backlash at curbs to restrict replica guns

Government plans come under fire from airsoft and paintball fans, but anti-firearms campaigners demand a ban

Hugh Muir
Tuesday August 16, 2005
The Guardian


Relatives of people killed or injured by acts of gun crime clashed with sporting enthusiasts yesterday over the government's plans to restrict the manufacture and sale of imitation and replica firearms.
Members of the Gun Control Network (GCN), many of whom have personal experience of tragedies caused by the use of illegal weapons, hit out at an international campaign being run by devotees of paintball and the similar but more militaristic airsoft shooting events.

Airsoft guns are plastic and fire 6mm or 8mm pellets. They originated in Japan in the 1980s and are said to be more accurate and to offer greater range than their paintball equivalents. There are thought to be 10,000 regular airsoft players and 70 sites around the UK which host events or "skirmishes".

The airsoft shooters say the government's violent crime reduction bill will effectively kill their hobby because the low-velocity guns, which fire plastic pellets, would be classified as "realistic imitation firearms". Equipment now held would be unaffected but the sport would be unable to obtain new equipment.

Airsoft shooters have begun a campaign to pressure MPs and promote their sport, bolstered by support from enthusiasts in the US, Canada and Japan.

But anti-gun protesters argue that the shooters should be willing to switch to less lifelike weapons in the cause of public safety. They point out that a significant proportion of gun crimes committed in Britain involve imitation and replica weapons.

Steve Walker of GCN said: "We don't want to stop them enjoying their sport.The problem is the weapons they use. If they were brightly coloured and distinguishable from real guns there would be no problem."

Mr Walker, whose sons Alex, 17, and Andrew, 26, were murdered in 2001 by a paranoid psychotic with a reactivated weapon, said emotions are running high.

"We have got abusive emails from the airsoft shooters, paintballers and people who support the owning of firearms for self defence. But our position is clear. If it looks like a gun it should not be allowed."

Gill Marshall-Andrews, GCN's chair, said: "No one needs a realistic imitation gun - except perhaps a re-enactment society. Paintball and airsoft guns do not have to look like the real thing. A green plastic gun would not be affected by the new legislation. If it's not lethal and does not look like a real firearm then there is no problem."

But Frank Bothamley, who runs Free Fire Zone, an airsoft event site in Cambridgeshire, said enthusiasts felt "persecuted". He added: "We are an easy target. We are a minority group. I think this is a tip of the iceberg thing. If they ban this will it be rifles, shotguns and other things.

"The government wants to stop 15- and 16-year-old's from being on the streets with airsoft guns which they buy from street traders for between £5 and £30. People also carry them as accessories because they look a bit flash. But people who do this as a proper hobby have guns which cost £100 to £600. They look after them."

He said manufacturers aimed to make the guns look real and would be unlikely to stop doing so just for a British market worth less than £10m. "People around the world want guns that look like real guns."

Parts of the US dictate that the guns should have orange bands around the ends to distinguish them from real firearms. "That would be the sensible thing to do," Mr Bothamley said. "The argument is that people would take the band off but if they did and they were caught they should be prosecuted. It is worth remembering that no one has ever been killed with an airsoft gun."

The pastime is straightforward - participants in military clothes hunt and shoot each other. But for the purposes of this debate it has taken on philosophical overtones. Enthusiasts quote Lord Salisbury and his call for a land where "people are allowed, so long as they do not hurt their neighbours, to do as they like".

However, detractors say they must address the practical issues on the street. Figures released this year show decreases in the number of offences involving shotguns, handguns and rifles but increases in those in which imitation guns, deactiviated guns and blank firing weapons were used. Offences involving stun guns and paintball guns also increased.

Mr Walker, 62, a former Bedfordshire police officer, remains haunted by the shooting of his sons. "We just want to get guns off the street," he said. "The frightening thing is how many there are."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,2763,1549813,00.html?gusrc=rss

[Vieras 1*]

Raids net hundreds of guns bought on internet

Police arrest 41 as extent of London trade revealed

Lee Glendinning
Saturday November 6, 2004
The Guardian

Police have arrested 41 people in a series of raids across London after an investigation revealed hundreds of firearms and rounds of ammunition being purchased illegally over the internet.
A doctor, police officer, two suspected armourers and career criminals are among those who are being questioned while the seized weapons will be tested to ascertain whether they are linked to unsolved crimes.

Detectives believe some of the weapons had been used to kill and maim and they will now be tested at forensic laboratories.

The four day series of raids which began on Tuesday resulted in the seizure of 108 pistols, components for more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition as well as four machine gun-type weapons and 13 stunguns in what police have called the climax of a long-term investigation.

Also found were 13 rifles, seven shotguns, five flareguns, 7CS sprays, a crossbow, silencers, laser sights and class A drugs.

During the course of the investigation, police officers posed as potential online buyers and gun enthusiasts.

Officers visited France earlier in the year as the focus of their investigation turned to a French-based site called Guns2U.com.

Detectives monitored a number of internet sites to track the weapons purchases, including the popular action site eBay, but none of the weapons seized resulted from eBay purchases.

The purchases were simple and in some cases relatively cheap - with an imitation Beretta handgun costing £50.

After several months of investigations, more than 5,000 Met officers raided 53 addresses. Uncovered within specially constructed compartments, or inside bedside drawers and kitchen cabinets, were a second world war Stengun, 22 rifles, Berettas, Glocks, Walther PPK 9mm replica handguns and hand style cannons.

Eventually more than 700 addresses were raided nationally. Those charged will face a minimum five-year jail terms for possession of a firearm.

Known as Operation Bembridge, the UK wide operation to tackle gun crime - was specifically targeted those purchasing firearms over the internet, and included officers from the Met's specialist crime directorate, working with Customs and Excise, foreign police forces and the Territorial Support Group.

While the scale of the operation has been hailed a success by senior detectives, the size of the haul is no doubt a confirmation of London's huge gun problem.

"We were amazed at how many guns there were - we were only expecting to find about 20 but there's enough for a small army," one officer said. "It's terrifying to think these were out on the street and we just don't know how many more are out there."

Officers involved in the investigation said they felt what was seized would make London a safer city.

Commander Stephen James, from the specialist crime directorate which led the London operations, said yesterday in most cases the arms were ordered from a website abroad and then posted or smuggled into the country.

"It has taken some months to develop this intelligence using the internet and working with police officers abroad," he said.

"This is an ongoing operation and we continue to monitor weapons brought over the internet. Londoners must realise that the possession of firearms weapons will draw the attention of the police."

There has been a 10% reduction in gun crime throughout the capital, Commander James said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,2763,1344880,00.html

[Vieras 1*]

CAUGHT IN GUN TERROR

A FISHING trip turned into a nightmare for a Sheffield father and son after they were surrounded by armed police and locked up - for buying toy guns.

Martin Pearson today hit out at the "heavy handed" treatment after he and son Alex, aged 14, were arrested and held for more than five hours by police.
The drama unfolded after the pair bought a plastic pistol and rifle from a stall on the seafront during their fishing trip to Scarborough.
A worried member of the public spotted the father and son with the guns and alerted police.
Armed police swooped on the pair and surrounded them before they were handcuffed and put in a van while sniffer dogs searched the car.
The pair were arrested and taken to Scarborough police station just after 11pm and held for five-and-a-half hours while their fingerprints, photographs and DNA samples were taken before they were released on bail at 4.30am.
Furious Mr Pearson, of Foxhill Road, Grenoside, said today: "It was very extreme - heavy handed to say the least.
"My son was very upset and scared, I am just so angry.
"There didn't seem to be any commonsense involved, they went way, way over the top."
Mr Pearson, aged 48, said his son had saved up his paper round money to buy the guns which he planned to use for shooting practice with the Air Cadets.
He said: "We got them out in the car park, looked at them, then put them away.
"Just as we had cast our rods into the sea, five police cars screeched up and we were surrounded by armed officers pointing guns and shouting at us. It was frightening."
Mr Pearson said: "Alex was terrified. They said they were going to charge us with firearms offences and we were separated."
Mr Pearson said: "My son was in a cell on his own and he was upset so they let me give him a cuddle.
"He didn't have an appropriate adult with him at anytime."
Mr Pearson, who is considering making a formal complaint against North Yorkshire Police, said air cadet Alex was worried about having a criminal record as he wants to go into the RAF. He said: "I thought once they realised they were plastic guns they would let us go.
"I could understand it if we had been walking down the promenade waving the guns around but we weren't.
"There are lots of shops along the seafront selling these guns and kids walking around with them."
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the pair were spotted by a concerned member of the public.
"Even police firearms experts, who are highly trained, close up cannot tell the difference between a BB gun, toy or lethal weapon.
"We say it over and over again, if you have got a toy gun, keep it to yourself. At the very least you might frighten people and cause alarm and at the worst it doesn't bear thinking about.''

23 August 2005

http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=1122876

[Tvälläri]

Mukavahan tuollaiselle on naureskella.

Mutta tapahtuu tällaista Suomessakin. Muistan itse tapauksen noin vajaa kymmenen vuotta sitten Vaasasta ammattikouluajoilta, kun eräs kaverini sai aika karun kohtalon poliisilta eräs lauantai iltapäivä. Hän oli kävelemässä kotiinsa jossain palosaarella ja oli laittanut viinipullon hihaansa koskapa pullon kanssa heiluminen yleisellä paikalla (vaikkakin selvinpäin) oli tuolloin ainakin vaasassa paheksuntaa herättävää. No kotinsa lähellä eräässä puistossa hän oli nähnyt pari naapurin pikkupoikaa jotain tyyliin hieman alle 10v leikkimässä airsoft pistoolilla. Pikkupojat olivat moikanneet kaveria ja juosseet näyttämään uudenkarheaa pyssyään, kaveri oli ottanut sen ja käpistellyt sitä. antanut pojille takaisin sen ja jäänyt jutustelemaan niiden kanssa, ja KAS, Paikallisen järjestyspoliisin kaksi autopartiota hyökkäsi paikalle, uhkasi hämmentynyttä kaveriani virka-aseella, löi tämän konepellille niin että hihassa ollut pullo särkyi ja viilsi ranteen auki. No sairaalan päivystyksen sijasta hoitona oli putka. Kaverilla oli tuuria sillä pullo oli viiltänyt vajaan sentin päästä valtimoa osumatta siihen. Korneinta tässä on se, että kaveri sai tuomion ampuma-ase rikoksesta. Tämän koko homman oli ilmoittanut poliisin hätäkeskukseen eräs ilmeisen tunnetusti ylireagoiva "sossuntäti" joka oli värittänyt tapahtumaa hätäkeskukseen soittaessaan ja ilmeisesti myös oikeudessa, tätönen ja syyttäjä kun onnistuivat kuvaamaan kaverini Osama Bin ladenin ja Saddamin kaltaiseksi terroristiksi. Arvatkaapa kaks kertaa vituttiko kaveria. Se ei vaan raukka älynnyt tehdä valitusta ko. tuomiosta ja kohtelustaan eteenpäin joten homma jäi siihen ja kaverille rikosrekisteri .
_________________
"Mies, ei koskaan kyllästy tuijottamaan välkehtivää tulta, virtaavaa vettä, tai tippuvaa pontikkaa"

[Tate]

Kuinka on mahdollista saada tuomio ampuma-aserikoksesta jos ko. ampuma-asetta ei edes ole olemassa henkilön hallussa/paikalla vaan airsoft pyssy
_________________

[joop]

Suomi ja sen laki, köyhät kärsii ja rikkaat porskuttaa...

[Solifer]

Rikottu pullo hihassa (concealed lethal weapon) tuo tuomion helposti

[Vieras 1*]

Gun smuggling is 'easy'

By CORINNE ABRAMS
Sun Online

AS Britain struggled to understand yet another brutal gun murder in the wake of the Harvey Nichols horror, a former armed response officer told us of the ease at which guns were being smuggled into the country.

Roger Gray, who worked with SO19, the armed response unit of the Metropolitan Police, revealed guns were coming in to the country through sea ports, in luggage and lorries.

The smuggling of the weapons, some of which he said were manufactured in India and China, others sold in Eastern Europe, was made easier due to easier communications and international travel connections.

Mr Gray, who has written the book Armed Response about his experiences in the Met, described Britain's borders as "porous to say the least".

"Buying weapons in Europe and bringing them into England is not really a problem, bringing them in to the Kent sink ports is even less of a problem," Mr Gray said.

"It is very easy," he added

Mr Gray said he believed the extent gun crime was being "underplayed" in Britain.

He said "The number of weapons that are in criminal hands I would suggest has gone up enormously."

And Mr Gray said nowadays, on the streets of a city like Manchester it could be possible to get hold of a gun within hours: "If you were a member of a certain fraternity and of a certain age group I don't think you would have trouble getting one at all. Within an hour, I suspect, if you were in touch with the right people."

Mr Gray even said he thought it was possible Kalashnikov AK47 assualt rifles could be making their way into this country.

"In places like India, we have village craftsmen who can clone a Kalashnikov assault rifle very efficiently. India, China all over the place.

"The Kalashnikov is one of the most lethal weapons in the world, but it is also commonly available."

Mr Gray said he believed gun crime in the UK was spiralling: "Gun crime in general is rising, it is out of control. I believe the public do not have a full picture of what is going on nor the extent of it."

He said the weapons were available for under £100, along with bullets.

"You can buy one for £50 or £70 with a load of ammunition, I understand. Guns have been made for the past two centuries, there are loads of them out there," he revealed.

Mr Gray was not hopeful for the future of cracking down on gun crime, despite the Government's proposed Violent Crime Bill, saying Brits would have to learn to live with it.

"I don’t think we are going to be able to stamp it out I think we are going to have to live with it," he said.

"It is very difficult for the British public to digest what they are now faced with, but they have no choice.

"It will never be possible to train enough armed policemen, let alone recruit them to deal with the problem as it is now. The resources required are absolutely enormous and our society would change fundamentally. "

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005420600,00.html

[Solifer]

Jos kerran rikollisilla on jo aseet niin....

[Vieras 1*]

Vaan koskas poliitikot ovat halunneet myöntää tosiasioita tai peruneet järjettömiä lakejaan.
Näyttää että tuollakin yritetään epätoivoisesti väittää ettei aseellisen rikollisuuden käsiin räjähtämisellä ja asekieltolailla ole mitään tekemistä tai vaikutusta toisiinsa; laillista harrastamista ei sallita vaikka kadulta voisi ostaa mitä hyvänsä.

[MtJ]

Vaan laillinen harrastus jos kielletään niin kaduilta myös ostetaan ihan mitä hyvänsä. Kylmä tosiasia, ihan omakohtaisesti pohdittuna. Onneksi maassamme tällä hetkellä vaikuttaa olevan edes pieni järjen hitunen vielä suuremmissa linjoissa aseiden osalta (ei sentään Englannin mallia, edes osittaista).

Eihän niitä aseita tarvitse ostaa pimeänä nyt, koska asepolitiikka harrastusaseiden osalta on kuitenkin suhteellisen järkevää, mutta jos lait käyvät yli tavallisen aseharrastajan mahdollisuuksien hankkia aseita, alkaa aseiden katukaupasta löytymään yhä enemmän tavaraa. Ostajat määrittelevät kuitenkin markkinat. Nyt laittomien aseiden markkinat ovat pienet, miten mahtaa olla asianlaita, jos "kauhuskenario" aseiden totaalikiellosta toteutuisi? Rikollisempi aines osaa varmasti haistaa rahan tälläisessä äkillisessä markkinoiden nousukierteessä. Tuskinpa kaikki lavean polun kulkijat kuitenkaan ovat sitä mökkimurto- ja pyörävaras-kategoriaa.

P.S. Tuo laittomien aseiden markkinoiden pienuus on veikkaus, tarkkaa tietoa laittomien aseiden määristä ei liene kellään.
_________________
Jos parturi ajaa parran vain niiltä, jotka eivät itse aja partaansa, ajaako hän silloin oman partansa?

[Vieras 1*]

Concern over gun rise

By Carron Taylor

A senior Met police officer has warned the scourge of gun crime has spread to Wandsworth, despite the borough commander once dubbing the area one of the safest in London.

The Met Police's assistant commissioner, Tarique Ghaffur, said guns were now spreading to parts of London such as Wandsworth and Putney.

Gun crime has increased across Wandsworth by nearly 84 per cent over the past financial year.

Mr Ghaffur, whose responsibilities include serious gun crime and divisions such as Operation Trident, said the increase in firearm incidents was part of a national trend.

Since April there have been 68 incidents of gun-related crime in the borough, compared with 37 cases in the last financial year. Detective Sergeant Phil Tomlinson, who heads Wandsworth police's drugs and firearms desk, said a significant amount of firearm offences in Wandsworth were committed with replica and converted weapons.

He said there were also a large number of ball-bearing (BB) guns which were easy to purchase and yet contribute toward gun crime figures.

"The drugs and firearms desk at Wandsworth are working with Wandsworth Council to reduce drug dealing and those who use firearms to protect their interests," he said.

"We have already had significant results since the start of Operation Shield.

"This has included the seizure of 17 replica firearms, five firearms, 148 rounds of ammunition and one hand grenade."

The borough's robbery desk has also made arrests in relation to firearms as part of Operation Impact.

DS Tomlinson added: "I must stress that gun-enabled crime in Wandsworth is still much lower than neighbouring boroughs such as Lambeth, even though Wandsworth is geographically twice the size."

Wandsworth is the largest of the inner London boroughs, covering 13 square miles and with 280,000 residents.

10:39am Friday 28th October 2005

http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.645208.0.concern_over_gun_rise.php

[Vieras 1*]

'Trick or treat' englantilaiseen tapaan:

Man shot by 'trick or treat' gang

A gang wearing Halloween masks shouted "trick or treat" before shooting a man in the doorway of his home.
Police said at least two men dressed in dark clothing called at a house on Acacia Avenue in Huyton, Merseyside.

A woman answered the front door and was joined by a man, aged 31, who was then shot several times. He is critical but stable in hospital after surgery.

Det Ch Insp Phil Scarth, of Merseyside Police, said: "We believe the address was targeted."

He added: "At this time we are keeping an open mind about the incident. However, we do not believe it is connected to any other shooting.

"We have carried out house-to-house inquiries near to the scene and high visibility patrols have been stepped up."

A forensic examination has been carried out in the area and Acacia Avenue remained closed on Tuesday morning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/4395350.stm

Armed gang shoot five men in home

Five men were shot when a gang forced their way into a house in east London.
Two of the gang initially tried to get into the property in Walthamstow but the residents fought them off with what are described as kitchen utensils.

Police said two more men then managed to get in and shot the five residents in the attack on Sunday.

The injured were taken to hospital by a neighbour where three were treated for minor injuries and two are said to be in a stable condition.

The four gunmen escaped in a Ford Ka and a Volkswagen hatchback with tinted windows.

Operation Trafalgar

Operation Trafalgar - which looks into non black-on-black gun crime in London - is investigating the incident.

Detectives are keeping an open mind regarding motive at this stage.

DS Neil Lemon said: "We are eager to trace the two vehicles involved in this incident, where it is believed that one of the men suffered from a head injury.

"The Metropolitan Police Service is dedicated to reducing gun crime and I appeal to anyone with information to contact us."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4395146.stm

[Vieras 1*]

Gunman opens fire on police

Nov 11 2005

By Andrew Hirst, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner


A GUNMAN tried to blast two policemen in the latest of a spate of shooting dramas in Huddersfield.

The armed officers, in an unmarked car, had tracked down a man thought to be responsible for another shooting an hour earlier.

But before they even got out of their car in Clare Hill, just outside the town centre, the gunman, who was standing by another car, opened fire with a handgun.

The bullet smashed one of the police car's windows, showering the officers with glass.

The gunman then ran into a house and straight out through the back door before escaping.

Both officers were left badly shocked and one suffered an eye injury from the glass. They were taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Last night's incidents came after a spate of shootings in the Sheepridge area.

Between 7pm and 8.30pm on Thursday, October 27, three men were shot and one was stabbed.

The main incident happened at the junction of Sheepridge Road and Belle Vue Crescent.

One man was badly hurt, but he survived and is recovering from his injuries.

No-one has been arrested.

On October 18, a 33-year-old man was lucky to escape a murder bid in Sheepridge Road.

A gunman confronted him, but as he pulled the trigger the victim put his arm up to his face to protect himself and the bullet hit his arm.

He then managed to flee.

Police chiefs said this morning that they did not believe either of the Sheepridge incidents were linked to last night's shootings, which were being treated as "an isolated incident".

Kirklees Police commander Chief Superintendent Barry South said: "At this stage last night's incidents are not being linked with any others.

"I want to reassure the community that extra officers are being deployed to locate the individual involved and bring the matter to a close.'

Last night's drama started just after 6pm at the junction of Bradford Road and Alder Street in Hillhouse, when shots were fired at parked cars.

A man got into a dark Fiat car and drove off towards the town centre.

It is thought someone was in one of the cars being targeted, but had gone by the time police arrived.

Police have today urged this person to come forward to make sure they have not been hurt.

Armed officers were drafted into the area to track the gunman down. They found the Fiat in Clare Hill just before 7.10pm.

A man was standing by the driver's door, but even before the officers got out of their car he opened fire on them.

The gunman then fled into a house on Clare Hill and out through the back door.

Police confirmed this morning that several witnesses were helping their investigation.

The man police are hunting is African-Caribbean, but no further description of him has been released.

If people know who he is they have been urged to call police immediately and not approach him.

A woman who lives in the area said: "It was very frightening.

"I heard a gun being fired, perhaps two or three times, and saw there were a number of people hanging about.

"I saw the police, but I did not know if there had been an attack.

"I daren't walk through that area any more."

Abdullah Bin Kasiri, who works at a filling station on Bradford Road, Hillhouse, said: "It is worrying to think it can happen on your doorstep.

"It is not a good feeling to know things like this happen where you work."

http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=16360100&method=full&siteid=50060&headline=gunman-opens-fire-on-police-name_page.html#story_continue


Four arrested after gun incidents


A man has been arrested in connection with five gun crimes over 10 days.
Greater Manchester Police firearms officers arrested Neil Wood, 27, in Derbyshire on Saturday.

The incidents took place in Wigan with shots fired at police officers in one incident and a 60-year-old man left with chest wounds in another.

Two women and a man have also been arrested in connection with the incidents and are being questioned on suspicion of helping an offender.

The first incident took place on 2 November when police officers were shot at while investigating a burglary.

On 8 November shots were fired in the Beech Hill area of the town.

While a 43-year-old woman had her car stolen at gunpoint last Friday.

Thirty-five minutes later a man was taken to hospital after an incident in the Wigan Lane area. He is in a stable condition.

Later that evening two men were threatened with a gun by a man who stole their car.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/4434586.stm

Published: 2005/11/14 08:51:55 GMT

© BBC MMV