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Gun crime - In the line of fire
Jun 24 2005
South London Press
THE .44 Magnum - one of the most powerful handguns in the world.
Capable of immense destruction, it was one of 11 guns seized by cops this week. Others included the Beretta .9 millimetre - standard issue of the US Marines. Both were recovered in the first week of Operation Cruise Lambeth - a massive police drive to combat a 44 per cent rise in firearms offences.
BEN ASHFORD reports...
POLICE can defeat the scourge of gun crime and gangster culture - but only with YOUR help.
That was the hard-hitting verdict of Lambeth's Chief Superintendent Martin Bridger as he unveiled the fearsome arsenal of firearms.
All were seized from homes across the borough in the last week.
Chief Supt Bridger was joined by Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair on Wednesday, who came south of the river to inspect the deadly haul.
Sir Ian winced as he was shown a .44 Magnum - wielded by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry films and one of only a handful ever found in the UK.
Other guns included a deadly Beretta .9 - a standard-issue weapon of US Marines - Glock machine pistols and Smith & Wessons.
All were seized in Operation Cruise Lambeth, which has already led to 11 firearms being seized and 16 arrests since its launch last week.
Body armour, samurai swords and drugs have also been recovered.
Much of the intelligence behind the raids came directly from the public, via 60 calls made to Chief Supt Bridger's 24-hour gun
crime hotline number. Revealing the weapons cache to community leaders and senior police colleagues, Lambeth's top cop confirmed his steely determination to rid the borough of guns - but warned further success depended on the help of the community.
And he revealed gun crime in Lambeth had soared by 44 per cent this year, despite no recorded firearms deaths.
Chief Supt Bridger said: "The average age of young people involved in gun criminality is around 16, 17 or 18. They are getting younger - it is a worrying trend.
"Addressing the madness of gun crime requires the contribution of many. Enforcement alone will never work.
"The police will play their part, but we need the intelligence. We need the community to take ownership of their problem.
"We all need to provide a way forward for these young guys."
Mr Bridger hailed the contributions of groups such as Mothers Against Guns and anti-gun campaigners such as Blacker Dread - whose son Solomon Martin was shot dead on New Year's Eve. He also praised all those who called his confidential gun crime hotline.
Outlining the first week of Operation Cruise Lambeth, he added: "Let it be a clear message to those who involve themselves in gun criminality that we will pursue every snippet of intelligence to bring them before the courts."
Sir Ian Blair backed Chief Supt Bridger's drive, revealing that previous attempts to stem gun crime had floundered because of a lack of community support.
He said: "Fifteen years ago we set up a unit to tackle Jamaican yardie gangs. It had a clean up rate of three to four per cent and was a failure because we didn't engage with the black community.
"Since then, Operation Trident has done just that and achieved a clear-up rate of 65 per cent.
"The community realises the threat gun crime represents and is ready to act.
"Somewhere like Brixton is a tough place to grow up but we've still got to give these young boys a chance."
Do you think the community is doing enough to fight gun crime?
Write to South London Press, 2-4 Leigham Court Road, Streatham, SW16 2PD or email letters@slp.co.uk
A deadly trade on the increase
DUBBED the "most powerful handgun in the world", the .44 Magnum was made infamous by the Dirty Harry movies.
It was the weapon of choice for Clint Eastwood's tough cop - who boasted it could "blow a head clean off". The firearm was not only powerful, it was also capable of amazing accuracy because of its distinctive long barrel Thankfully, few of these guns are thought to have fallen into the hands of Britain's crooks. The Beretta cal-9 Parabellium is the standard issue weapon of the US Marines. They are rarely found this side of the Atlantic, but cops fear more are entering the country.
'Call any time'
TOP cop Martin Bridger has hailed the courage of Lambeth residents for supporting his bid to rid the borough of firearms. The police chief has received 60 calls on his personal gun crime hotline since we publicised the number in April.
These calls led directly to Operation Cruise Lambeth, which this week removed 11 deadly weapons from our midst. The borough commander carries the phone for 24 hours a day and pledges to pick up every call.
"When people ring me I tell them quite clearly I do not want to know their name, their address or their motivation," he said.
"To date the response has been brilliant and I want to acknowledge the courage of the community in coming forward and speaking to me, which has led to some excellent results."
Mr Bridger said the hotline, initially launched for six weeks but extended indefinitely, was building confidence in the community.
He urged more people to call him confidentially, day and night.
Michelle Forbes, of Mothers Against Guns, backed the hotline, describing it as an excellent scheme.
* To contact Chief Supt Bridger call 0800 587 4539 - 24 hours a day.
All calls are confidential and must be to discuss gun crime.
Jun 24 2005
South London Press
THE .44 Magnum - one of the most powerful handguns in the world.
Capable of immense destruction, it was one of 11 guns seized by cops this week. Others included the Beretta .9 millimetre - standard issue of the US Marines. Both were recovered in the first week of Operation Cruise Lambeth - a massive police drive to combat a 44 per cent rise in firearms offences.
BEN ASHFORD reports...
POLICE can defeat the scourge of gun crime and gangster culture - but only with YOUR help.
That was the hard-hitting verdict of Lambeth's Chief Superintendent Martin Bridger as he unveiled the fearsome arsenal of firearms.
All were seized from homes across the borough in the last week.
Chief Supt Bridger was joined by Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair on Wednesday, who came south of the river to inspect the deadly haul.
Sir Ian winced as he was shown a .44 Magnum - wielded by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry films and one of only a handful ever found in the UK.
Other guns included a deadly Beretta .9 - a standard-issue weapon of US Marines - Glock machine pistols and Smith & Wessons.
All were seized in Operation Cruise Lambeth, which has already led to 11 firearms being seized and 16 arrests since its launch last week.
Body armour, samurai swords and drugs have also been recovered.
Much of the intelligence behind the raids came directly from the public, via 60 calls made to Chief Supt Bridger's 24-hour gun
crime hotline number. Revealing the weapons cache to community leaders and senior police colleagues, Lambeth's top cop confirmed his steely determination to rid the borough of guns - but warned further success depended on the help of the community.
And he revealed gun crime in Lambeth had soared by 44 per cent this year, despite no recorded firearms deaths.
Chief Supt Bridger said: "The average age of young people involved in gun criminality is around 16, 17 or 18. They are getting younger - it is a worrying trend.
"Addressing the madness of gun crime requires the contribution of many. Enforcement alone will never work.
"The police will play their part, but we need the intelligence. We need the community to take ownership of their problem.
"We all need to provide a way forward for these young guys."
Mr Bridger hailed the contributions of groups such as Mothers Against Guns and anti-gun campaigners such as Blacker Dread - whose son Solomon Martin was shot dead on New Year's Eve. He also praised all those who called his confidential gun crime hotline.
Outlining the first week of Operation Cruise Lambeth, he added: "Let it be a clear message to those who involve themselves in gun criminality that we will pursue every snippet of intelligence to bring them before the courts."
Sir Ian Blair backed Chief Supt Bridger's drive, revealing that previous attempts to stem gun crime had floundered because of a lack of community support.
He said: "Fifteen years ago we set up a unit to tackle Jamaican yardie gangs. It had a clean up rate of three to four per cent and was a failure because we didn't engage with the black community.
"Since then, Operation Trident has done just that and achieved a clear-up rate of 65 per cent.
"The community realises the threat gun crime represents and is ready to act.
"Somewhere like Brixton is a tough place to grow up but we've still got to give these young boys a chance."
Do you think the community is doing enough to fight gun crime?
Write to South London Press, 2-4 Leigham Court Road, Streatham, SW16 2PD or email letters@slp.co.uk
A deadly trade on the increase
DUBBED the "most powerful handgun in the world", the .44 Magnum was made infamous by the Dirty Harry movies.
It was the weapon of choice for Clint Eastwood's tough cop - who boasted it could "blow a head clean off". The firearm was not only powerful, it was also capable of amazing accuracy because of its distinctive long barrel Thankfully, few of these guns are thought to have fallen into the hands of Britain's crooks. The Beretta cal-9 Parabellium is the standard issue weapon of the US Marines. They are rarely found this side of the Atlantic, but cops fear more are entering the country.
'Call any time'
TOP cop Martin Bridger has hailed the courage of Lambeth residents for supporting his bid to rid the borough of firearms. The police chief has received 60 calls on his personal gun crime hotline since we publicised the number in April.
These calls led directly to Operation Cruise Lambeth, which this week removed 11 deadly weapons from our midst. The borough commander carries the phone for 24 hours a day and pledges to pick up every call.
"When people ring me I tell them quite clearly I do not want to know their name, their address or their motivation," he said.
"To date the response has been brilliant and I want to acknowledge the courage of the community in coming forward and speaking to me, which has led to some excellent results."
Mr Bridger said the hotline, initially launched for six weeks but extended indefinitely, was building confidence in the community.
He urged more people to call him confidentially, day and night.
Michelle Forbes, of Mothers Against Guns, backed the hotline, describing it as an excellent scheme.
* To contact Chief Supt Bridger call 0800 587 4539 - 24 hours a day.
All calls are confidential and must be to discuss gun crime.
