Four shootings in west London 17 arrests and six firearm seizures in gun crime crackdown

Met Police made 17 arrests and found multiple firearms in a week long crackdown to tackle gun crime in London.

Six firearms where confiscated during an intensified operation targeting gun crime in the city from Monday, 21 November to Sunday, 27 November.

17 criminals were arrested, 12 were charged, recalled to prison or have appeared in court.

Two of the men, one aged in his 20s and the other in his 50s, were charged with conspiracy to murder and possession of a gun with intent to kill. These charges relate to a series of four shootings in west London. Both men have been kept in remand.

Officers made fourteen community weapon sweeps across London.

Tactics included the use of targeted patrols in the parts of the capital most seriously impacted by gun violence, as well as other weapon sweeps helped out in partnership with community members.

The seized items included:

• A live 2.2 Berringer hand pistol
• A live .38 Rimfire Calibre revolver with four rounds of ammunition
• Four suspected blank firearms
• One stun gun
• Class A drugs
• Class B drugs (Including Imported skunk cannabis with an estimated value of £20,000)

Officers have visited local schools and community groups in order to engage with young people on the dangers of carrying firearms.

While conventional firearms have been comparatively hard for criminals in the UK to get hold of, advances in 3D printing technology means that more of the components for a quite sophisticated automatic weapon can now be produced in small home “factories”.

One such gun-making facility was raided by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command on October 7.

Metroplitan Police wrote:

Violent crime has a devastating and lasting impact on victims and communities more widely. The Met continues to work tirelessly with partners and forces across the country to dismantle organised criminal groups facilitating the importation, manufacture and transportation of firearms around the UK.

This week of action is just one strand of work contributing towards our long-term strategy of reducing violence and gun crime in London. Our officers have been involved in hard-hitting surges of activity targeting the crimes people care about.

The aims are simple:

• To disrupt and arrest those who cause the most harm and impact on our communities.
• To protect the public – particularly the most vulnerable.

Detective Superintendent Tim Mustoe said: “Tackling violence is a priority for the Met and our response to gun crime is strong. We have deployed extra officers in the small pockets of London where we’ve seen shootings take place.

“Officers are developing fast time intelligence and executing warrants to arrest those involved in gun crime. The majority of shootings in London are linked to street gangs and organised crime groups so the likelihood of being a victim of gun crime, if you are not connected to these groups, is low.

“However, we recognise that gun crime can have a devastating impact on victims and their families. We have been relentless in identifying, arresting and charging criminals who use firearms to target rivals and run criminal enterprises.

“We can reduce gun crime far quicker if members of the public provide us with information about those responsible, where firearms are being stored and who they are being used by.

“If you do not want to report this information to the police, you can contact the independent charity, Crimestoppers, 100 per cent anonymously. You could save a life.”