Gun crime falls across Lothians

Published on Friday 29 October 2010 16:54

A BLITZ against organised crime gangs in Edinburgh was today hailed by detectives as a major factor behind a drop in gun crime.

New figures revealed that the number of attempted murders involving firearms in the force area fell to three last year.

During the previous year, attempted murders involving guns in the Capital outstripped Glasgow, with ten recorded amid escalating gang violence.

Police chiefs said the jailing of several major crime figures had contributed to the fall, which coincided with an overall drop of nine per cent for all firearms offences.

A total of 264 firearms offences, including nine armed robberies, were committed in the force area between last April and March, compared with 290 for the year before.

Detective Chief Superintendent Malcolm Graham, head of the force's CID, said: "Three attempted murders and zero murders involving firearms in a city the size of Edinburgh are phenomenally low numbers.

"There are only a small number of people willing to use firearms and we target them with our full range of tactics. Our aim is always to put them in custody and take the firearms off the streets.

"Our successes during the past year in tackling organised crime has meant that many of these individuals have received substantial jail sentences."

Among the successes was the ten-year sentence handed to Mark Richardson, the leader of an Inch-based gang, who was jailed in August after being caught red-handed with 700,000 of cocaine.

The 23-year-old's gang had previously been linked to a string of shootings, and was a key target in the police campaign against organised crime.

Earlier this month, Dean Scott, 27, was sentenced to 12 years for shooting James Carlin in the Jock's Lodge pub in March. Carlin himself was earlier jailed for nine years for running a gang peddling cocaine.

The latest figures, however, do not include the shooting of Robert Kelbie, 27, outside a gym in Newcraighall on October 20.

Det Chief Supt Graham said: "With the recent shooting at Bannantyne's Gym, no stone will be left unturned. We treat any suggestion or report that a firearms has been used in a crime with extreme seriousness."

A total of 147 of last year's firearms offences involved air weapons, which typically relate to minor assaults, vandalism and illegal possession.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the statistics, which also showed an overall reduction of firearms offences in Scotland of 12 per cent over the past year.

He said: "The statistics show that Scotland is travelling firmly in the right direction."

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