Fear of gun crime 'in many areas'

A poll of more than 2,000 adults in England, Wales and Scotland showed nearly half (45%) believed their area was less safe than it was five years ago due to gun and knife crime.

Nearly a third of people (29%) surveyed by YouGov for the think-tank Policy Exchange said they or their immediate family were at risk of such crimes, with the figure rising to 42% in London.

Even in rural areas, 23% of residents said they or their family were at risk.

Nearly a fifth of men (18%) claimed they knew how to get their hands on an illegal firearm - the equivalent of five million people - while one in eight said they knew someone who had such a weapon, or had owned one in the past.

The report, Gun and Knife Crime in Great Britain, claimed that gun culture now affected not just lower income groups but all sections of society in all parts of the country.

Policy Exchange research director Gavin Lockhart said: "It is clear that it is no longer just hardened criminals who have access to guns or deprived inner city communities which are affected by them.

"Britain's gun culture has become so endemic it affects huge swathes of the population, with millions of people saying they know how to get hold of illegal firearms and millions more feeling personally threatened by them.

"It is no surprise that gun crime casualties have quadrupled in the past decade, or that voters are demanding the Government take a far more hardline stance."

In the poll, nearly eight out of 10 adults said they wanted more armed police patrols to combat gun and knife crime. The survey also showed 88% of those questioned backed an increase in the five-year minimum sentence for possessing an illegal firearm, and 82% believed the Government had not done enough to tackle gun crime.