A huge decrease in the number of people caught in unlawful possession of a firearm has been welcomed by Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice.

And since the introduction in January 2004 of a mandatory 5 year sentence for possession of a gun, the percentage of people receiving the maximum has gone from 11% in 2004 to over 50% in 2006. The 2004 figure contains people who committed offences in 2003 before the mandatory sentence came in.

Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: "The figures are very impressive. Since the police are clearly giving as much priority to gun crime now as they did a few years ago, the only explanation for the dramatic drop in convictions is that fewer people are carrying guns."

"There is nothing clever about having a firearm unlawfully. The 5 year sentence is for real. It is a long time to be behind bars for simple possession."

"There are mitigating factors in some cases and I am pressing Ministers for further information on this."

The Justice Minister, David Hanson told the Pendle MP: The following table shows the number of persons sentenced to immediate custody of possession of an illegal firearm eligible for the mandatory minimum, and the proportion who received the mandatory minimum. Statistics for 2007 will be published in autumn 2008.

The table shows for each year the total persons sentenced; the number given immediate custody; those receiving five years or over and the percentage this represents of the total sentenced.

2004 736 251 81 11.0%
2005 385 242 146 37.9%
2006 281 212 141 50.2%