Jacqui Smith praises work to tackle gun violence

Mar 11 2008 By Mark Cowan

THE Home Secretary said she was "impressed" with the pioneering work being done in the West Midlands to tackle gun and gang violence as she was shown the latest crimefighting database to target armed crime.

Redditch MP Jacqui Smith was in Birmingham yesterday listening to the latest efforts to target armed crime that may be used elsewhere around the country.

And she was given a run down on the latest high-tech weapon being developed in the region that will become a DNA-style database connecting bullets, ballistics and weapons used in armed crime across the country.

The national Ballistics Intelligence Service will provide investigators with a weapon's history within 24 hours, linking it to other crimes and offenders.

West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council are also pioneering the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to control known troublemakers, mentoring schemes to keep the peace between gangs and projects to help divert individuals from a gang lifestyle.

The Home Secretary's visit coincided with the launch of a week of action across the region to tackle the problem.

"I'm very impressed with the work West Midlands Police has been doing to build on their success in reducing gun crime in the city," she said.

"They have very strong partnerships with the city council, Probation Service, Youth Offending Teams and particularly the local community to build confidence.

"There is a lot of good stuff happening in Birmingham that is now being looked at in Manchester and Liverpool."

The Home Secretary said £3 million had been invested in NABIS which will become a major tool in tackling gun gangs.

She added: "This is world leading technology that will allow us to link the bullets to guns and the guns to criminals. It will make us more likely to get the guns and the people off the streets."

The Home Secretary dismissed suggestions about police routinely carrying weapons saying: "I don't believe this is a country where we want to see police routinely armed."

She added: "The most important message is that the streets belong to us.

"When I think of Birmingham I think of a great city not willing to be disrupted by gun crime.

"Every mum, every community wants to feel the streets are safe. The streets of Birmingham are safe, they are safe because of the work being done by the police and their partners."