Pubdate: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 Source: Sunday Telegraph (UK) Copyright: Telegraph Group Limited 2004 Contact: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/437 Authors: David Bamber and Mark Foxwell GUNS AND DRUGS FUEL SUDDEN RISE IN LONDON'S MURDER RATE The murder rate in London has doubled in 12 months to reach one of its highest levels ever, according to the most recent Home Office statistics, which have been leaked to the Telegraph. In the final three months of last year there were 61 murders in the capital, compared with just 31 in the same quarter, the previous year. The figure is the highest total for the last three months of any year, according to the Metropolitan Police's published figures. In the final three months of 2000, for example, there were only 40 murders, while in the same period of 2001 and 2002 there were 43 and 31 respectively. A year-on-year comparison between the murder rate in 2003 and that in 2002 is not available because the Metropolitan Police is currently "revising" its figures for the first four months of last year. The total, however, is expected to be significantly up on 2002. Senior officers fear that a dramatic increase in the use of guns, particularly in battles between gangs competing over the trade in drugs, is the prime cause of the sharp rise in the number of deaths. Other explanations include an increase in drive-by shootings and of murders committed for no other reason than that the killer perceives that personal or family "honour" has in some way been impugned by the victim. The increased use of guns by criminals has caused concern at the Home Office, which fears that the rise in the murder rate could overshadow a general decrease in overall crime figures that are due to be announced next month. Norman Brennan, a Metropolitan Police constable who chairs the Victims of Crime Trust pressure group, said that renewed efforts to halt the increase in murders were essential. "We need urgent action to stem this tide. Behind each murder there is a tragic story of a family left behind, children left fatherless and wives who are now widows," he said. "Gun crime and murder are two of the crimes that make people most scared to leave their homes. The fact that the rate has doubled will cause alarm and anxiety." Clive Elliott, the operations director of Protect the Protector, an organisation that campaigns on behalf of police officers, said: "We have been anticipating this for some time. London is becoming out of control. When you consider that the average sentence for murder is only 12 years and nine months, you can see why people think they can get away with it." One serving officer said: "We have seen a rise in drive-by shootings and in 'honour killings'. Some 'honour killings' can be as simple as a road-rage incident that gets out of hand or a gangster taking revenge against someone because he thinks his sister has been snubbed. "The crimes are getting more brutal and the trend in recent months is highly worrying." The latest figures show that the worst areas for murders are the north London boroughs of Hackney and Haringey and the southern boroughs of Lewisham and Croydon. The death of Anthony Robinson, 28, in Crystal Palace, south London, last October exemplifies the type of killing with which the police are routinely having to deal. Mr Robinson left his mother's house at 9pm on October 22 and drove his Fiat Punto towards a road junction. He was forced to stop by an oncoming dark-coloured saloon car and, when he got out of his car, was shot in the chest by the other driver at close range. Mr Robinson was taken to King's College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Rebecca May, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, said: "We cannot say why these statistics have gone up." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake