30 Apr 2008 : Column 490W—continued
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Ruffley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each police force area were convicted for possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [200391]
30 Apr 2008 : Column 491W
Mr. Coaker:
Information on the number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences relating to possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, by police force area for the years 1997 to 2006, can be found in the following table.
These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures relate to persons for whom these offences were
30 Apr 2008 : Column 492W
the principal offence. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. Information for 2007 will be available in late November 2008.
| N umber of persons found guilty at all courts for offences relating to possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, by police force area for the years 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
| Force | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|
Avon and Somerset
|
18
|
32
|
6
|
9
|
27
|
15
|
20
|
18
|
25
|
21
|
|
Bedfordshire
|
14
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
10
|
9
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
|
Cambridgeshire
|
8
|
17
|
8
|
9
|
1
|
5
|
12
|
4
|
3
|
8
|
|
Cheshire
|
8
|
5
|
8
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
4
|
20
|
11
|
16
|
|
City of London
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
—
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
—
|
1
|
|
Cleveland
|
7
|
12
|
7
|
8
|
5
|
6
|
11
|
11
|
13
|
8
|
|
Cumbria
|
2
|
7
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
8
|
8
|
3
|
|
Derbyshire
|
4
|
6
|
13
|
12
|
5
|
14
|
6
|
15
|
17
|
13
|
|
Devon and Cornwall
|
16
|
13
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
13
|
16
|
15
|
12
|
11
|
|
Dorset
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
7
|
5
|
8
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
|
Durham
|
5
|
6
|
9
|
9
|
6
|
5
|
12
|
11
|
14
|
6
|
|
Essex
|
29
|
37
|
22
|
22
|
15
|
25
|
18
|
29
|
22
|
26
|
|
Gloucestershire
|
4
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
9
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
|
Greater Manchester
|
53
|
100
|
57
|
55
|
57
|
51
|
55
|
115
|
108
|
94
|
|
Hampshire
|
18
|
18
|
18
|
15
|
9
|
21
|
16
|
15
|
28
|
24
|
|
Hertfordshire
|
11
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
16
|
23
|
23
|
|
Humberside
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
9
|
14
|
17
|
11
|
|
Kent
|
13
|
20
|
11
|
22
|
29
|
18
|
22
|
18
|
11
|
28
|
|
Lancashire
|
10
|
32
|
12
|
19
|
17
|
11
|
15
|
22
|
27
|
18
|
|
Leicestershire
|
18
|
29
|
15
|
26
|
20
|
13
|
16
|
17
|
17
|
16
|
|
Lincolnshire
|
2
|
6
|
10
|
13
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
Merseyside
|
24
|
31
|
20
|
14
|
18
|
19
|
25
|
54
|
68
|
56
|
|
Metropolitan Police
|
238
|
270
|
221
|
173
|
224
|
257
|
297
|
268
|
302
|
317
|
|
Norfolk
|
4
|
8
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
12
|
9
|
9
|
|
North Yorkshire
|
5
|
11
|
7
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
|
Northamptonshire
|
5
|
6
|
11
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
2
|
|
Northumbria
|
33
|
43
|
43
|
32
|
40
|
26
|
45
|
38
|
38
|
34
|
|
Nottinghamshire
|
12
|
20
|
12
|
16
|
16
|
12
|
28
|
23
|
27
|
30
|
|
South Yorkshire
|
18
|
24
|
22
|
19
|
11
|
17
|
21
|
23
|
27
|
35
|
|
Staffordshire(3)
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
(3)—
|
6
|
16
|
8
|
15
|
13
|
9
|
|
Suffolk
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
8
|
|
Surrey
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
7
|
4
|
7
|
|
Sussex
|
8
|
10
|
8
|
4
|
11
|
9
|
14
|
18
|
21
|
15
|
|
Thames Valley
|
30
|
30
|
23
|
15
|
11
|
16
|
20
|
24
|
22
|
20
|
|
Warwickshire
|
9
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
4
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
|
West Mercia(4)
|
9
|
6
|
11
|
5
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
11
|
6
|
11
|
|
West Midlands
|
84
|
92
|
87
|
74
|
71
|
79
|
66
|
72
|
69
|
78
|
|
West Yorkshire
|
33
|
72
|
55
|
36
|
33
|
38
|
33
|
52
|
51
|
47
|
|
Wiltshire
|
1
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
10
|
7
|
|
Dyfed-Powys
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
|
Gwent
|
—
|
2
|
4
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
6
|
4
|
7
|
|
North Wales
|
6
|
4
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
5
|
8
|
|
South Wales
|
8
|
9
|
16
|
11
|
17
|
11
|
18
|
21
|
24
|
15
|
|
England and Wales
|
790
|
1,044
|
812
|
720
|
757
|
795
|
899
|
1,061
|
1,108
|
1,077
|
30 Apr 2008 : Column 493W
30 Apr 2008 : Column 494W
(1) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(3 )Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
(4 )Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:
Firearms Act, 1968 Sec 5(1) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 S.288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition.
Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(l)(b) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious liquid etc.
Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(lA)(a) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing firearm disguised as other object
Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(1A) (b),(c),(d)(e),(f) or (g) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing other prohibited weapons
(5 )Includes revisions to Cumbria and Sussex for the years 2004 and 2005
Source:
RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice Reform
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