Clause 42 - Possession of air weapon or imitation firearm in public place
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
9:10 am
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
My hon. Friend is entirely right. When I referred to the dramatic decline in the number of successful prosecutions for firing a loaded air weapon in public, I was tempted to extrapolate and say why that might have happened. The obvious factor is the number of police officers available, not notionally in the country's police forces, but actually out on the streets patrolling. That is a serious issue, but you might well call me to order if I went too far down that road, Mr. O'Brien. The evidence shows that the number of successful prosecutions has fallen dramatically, yet the law has not changed during that period. Therefore, to suggest that it is the law that is wrong is a non sequitur.