MPs call for action as gun crime rises by a third in parts of Bradford

Judith Cummins, Philip Davies, Naz Shah and Imran Hussain have all raised concerns about an increase in firearms offences across the district.

Mrs Cummins said the number of gun crimes committed in her Bradford South constituency has gone up by a third in the last four years, and risen in general across the city.

Speaking in the House of Commons ahead of today’s Budget, Mrs Cummins said: “There are real concerns about the availability and use of firearms in my constituency.

“Keeping people and communities safe is the police’s first duty but their ability to do this effectively is hampered by the rolling cuts to funding they’ve had to ensure.

“Public safety is not an area where we should be cutting corners.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies said: “I absolutely agree with Judith. I always support giving the police more resources. They are incredibly stretched and it is perfectly clear to anybody that sees the work first-hand that they do, that the police need more resources to fight crime.

“Protecting the public should be the priority of any government. There should be more resources for police and proper punishment when criminals go before the courts.

“There is plenty of money available by reducing the overseas aid budget.”

On firearms offences in Bradford district, Mr Davies said: “I think it is a rising issue. We are even seeing a few examples in my Shipley constituency, which is unusual and which is something we do not want to see anymore of.”

Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, also backed Mrs Cummins, and said: “West Yorkshire’s force has lost a considerable amount of funding and more than 20 per cent of its officers, and it is now likely to be asked to find savings, despite having a ‘protected budget’.

“Bradford is not like the leafy suburbs of some southern counties where funding has increased over the past six years. We deal with complex issues that create vulnerability.”

Ms Shah said Bradford had to “deal with” issues such as grooming gangs, terrorism, alcohol, domestic violence and mental health issues, and added: “I would really like to understand how this government is going to ensure that they take into account places like my constituency, where the issues are complex. We need extra funding to tackle terrorism and we have extra vulnerabilities.

“I would like to see some understanding of constituencies such as Bradford West. Ultimately, we need to be cutting crime, not cutting costs.”

Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, said: “If we want to get more police on to our streets so that we can get criminals and guns off them, the clearest and simplest step that can be taken is to increase the investment that is made in our police forces.

“Rather than make this investment in our police force, which would see a return through a decrease in crime and increase in safety, the government has imposed an almost £9 million real terms cut for West Yorkshire Police whilst asking them to do more with less, and it is time that the Chancellor ensures that the police have the money to do their job and keep us safe.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “There is extensive proactive work on-going in Bradford and across West Yorkshire to tackle the illegal use and storage of weapons and firearms including the use of specialised teams and investigators.

“I strongly oppose any further cuts to West Yorkshire Police’s budget having already lost over £140m since 2010 at the cost of over 2,000 police and staff jobs. I will be following the Budget closely and continue to fight for a fairer funding deal for West Yorkshire. I will be liaising with Judith Cummins MP and all West Yorkshire MPs during the course of the year to seek their support in the review of the national policing funding formula.

“I want to reassure our communities that firearms offences are taken very seriously and resources are allocated accordingly, to meet threat, risk and harm in our communities.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the force was "committed to removing firearms from the streets of Bradford district to ensure the people who live in, work in and visit the area remain safe".

He added: "We take all incidents involving firearms seriously and work closely with communities and partners in Bradford South and across all our neighbourhood areas to identify and arrest those involved in gun crime.

"Bradford District featured in the recent weapon surrender which saw a significant number of firearms handed in across West Yorkshire. The public can be reassured that these weapons have been safely recovered and will not find their way into the hands of criminals.

"Those involved in the illegal use or possession of firearms need to be removed from our neighbourhoods and I would ask anyone with information to report it to us, so we can take swift and appropriate action.

"Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Since the 2015 Spending Review, this government has protected police funding and forces have the resources they need to keep our communities safe.

"West Yorkshire Police is due to receive over £407million in total direct resource funding in the 2017/18 provisional police funding settlement, provided they maximise the precept. That is £2.5million more than they received in 2015/16."