Shotgun owners are at increased risk of having their weapons stolen

Criminals are returning to the old-fashioned use of sawn-off shotguns, often stolen from middle-class homes, after police have successfully taken hundreds of submachine and handguns off the streets.

The Metropolitan police, the country’s largest police force, has recorded a 57 per cent rise in the use of shotguns in crimes in the past year. They include a murder, an offender shooting at police officers, burglaries, robberies and car-jackings.

As thousands of enthusiasts prepare for the beginning of the grouse-shooting season on the Glorious Twelfth, police chiefs are warning them to take extra precautions to protect their weapons.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Crime and Violence, International. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.