Dozens of gun crimes in pandemic

Home Office figures show Lincolnshire Police recorded 40 crimes involving firearms that year – and has dealt with 404 since police force level records began in 2007-08.

Lockdowns and other coronavirus restrictions contributed to gun crime dropping nationally in the year to March, but police forces across England and Wales still logged thousands of offences.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said there is more work to be done nationally to stop those intent on carrying weapons and prevent the “terrible consequences” of gun crime.

There were five firearm offences for every 100,000 people in the Lincolnshire policing area in 2020-21 – down from eight the year before.

The data covers crimes involving lethal firearms like shotguns and handguns and non-lethal weapons such as stun guns, but excludes offences involving air weapons.

It shows weapons were discharged or fired 14 times during incidents recorded by Lincolnshire Police in 2020.

Gun crime dropped nationally by 14 per cent compared to 2019-20 and has fallen significantly over 13 years.

Lincolnshire Police logged 41 gun crimes in 2007-08, two per cent more than last year and the equivalent of six in every 100,000 people.

The number of firearm crimes recorded by the force was at its highest in 2019-20.

A Government spokesman said it was recruiting 20,000 extra police officers and had given forces greater powers to stop and search, in an effort to remove dangerous weapons from the streets.

He said the country had some of the toughest gun controls in the world and that firearms offences made up a small proportion of recorded crime.