Irish guns 'fuel British crime'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3189184.stm

Irish guns 'fuel British crime' 

Dissident Irish republican paramilitary groups have been supplying 
firearms to some of Britain's most violent gangs, fuelling the rise in 
gun crime, the BBC has learned. 

There has been a trade in weapons originating from the Continuity IRA 
based around Limerick in the Irish Republic into cities such as 
Manchester and Birmingham, BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme has found. 

Sources within the National Criminal Intelligence Service have confirmed 
they are aware of incidents of paramilitary dissidents smuggling weapons 
into the UK. 

Irish justice minister Willie O'Dea, who represents Limerick in the 
Irish parliament, told the programme he understands large family groups 
with connections in both cities have been acting as intermediaries for 
the trade in illegal weapons. 

Mr O'Dea said: "Some of the people who are involved in crime in the 
Limerick area have also got a base in the UK, in and around Manchester 
and various cities in the centre of the UK. 

"The reports I've heard and what I've seen would indicate that those 
people are travelling between Ireland and the UK and are involved in 
various types of smuggling which involve both jurisdictions, of 
smuggling drugs and smuggling guns." 

Weapons sales 

In one operation firearms were swapped with one of Britain's biggest 
street gangs in exchange for drugs. 

The weapons were transported in furniture vans driven between the two 
countries, according to a former Home Office-funded researcher who works 
with street gangs in Manchester. 

The gang has been branching out into other British cities, selling drugs 
and moving weapons around the country. 

But Greater Manchester Police said there was no firm evidence of guns 
being supplied from the Irish Republic. 

In Birmingham, weapons have been offered for sale from car boots of 
vehicles cruising parts of the city which have had shootings, according 
to community workers trying to stop gang violence. 

Earlier this year two young women, Charlene Ellis and Letisha 
Shakespeare were killed after being caught up in what was believed to be 
a feud between two of the city's rival gangs. 

The latest Home Office figures show gun crime rose by 35% last year, 
with the home secretary telling the recent Labour party conference it 
was time to tackle gun runners bringing weapons into the UK. 


File on 4's reporter Allan Urry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 
it was difficult to estimate how many weapons were being smuggled into 
the UK. 

"We are not able to say if this is a major supply route, but it is clear 
that there is a lot of shootings around British cities and it is clear 
from information we've had from both Manchester and Birmingham that guns 
are getting through from across the water." 

File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday from 2000-2040. 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3189184.stm

Published: 2003/10/14 07:50:58 GMT

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