im just in the early process of making a short documentary on sheffield's gun scene - as far as i knew Gun crime isnt a major issue in sheffield, but recently i have heard more stories on this issue. Does anyone have a view on this, is it a rising problem or has it always been there? Does anybody know of areas in sheffield where gun crime is a major problem? are there any victims on here?

thanks

it seems to be a major problem within drug dealing circles - perhaps the best people to speak to are the doormen of local pubs / clubs.

Hopefully this will be a good, thoughtful documentary. However, I'm a bit concerned by your starting questions. What about "Is it not much of a problem, really?", or "does anyone know any areas of Sheffield where it really isn't much of a problem?". Of course, these questions are a bit boring, and the answers would be very boring!

By all means make the documentary, and I hope it's a good one, but please, please don't, for the sake of a more 'pacy' film, portray it as more of a problem than it really is. Disproportionate fear of crime can be as destructive as crime itself.

By the way, I live in Pitsmoor, which a lot of people think of as a neighbourhood where we all dress in Kevlar and weave down the road on our way to the shops. But gun crime is not a problem here as far as I am aware. In fact, I read in last week's Telegraph, that Pitsmoor/Burngreave now has a crime rate lower than the Sheffield average.

will you be contacting the police to ask them about their experiences, crime figures, etc.

i know people may be cynical about the polices opinion- but to be honest, when it all goes wrong, theyre the ones that have to pick up the peices.

they may be a useful resource to you in an official capacity.

sophie
x

By all means make the documentary, and I hope it's a good one, but please, please don't, for the sake of a more 'pacy' film, portray it as more of a problem than it really is. Disproportionate fear of crime can be as destructive as crime itself.


couldnt agree more.

sophie
x

Teafan - the questions asked are not the basis of my film, these are just to find out general peoples views on gun crime here, and to try and distinguish areas with this problem. This film is not to create a false impression of gun crime here either, just to get the truth on the issue.

The film is actually part of a community project to see how kids are affected by this, do they think there is a problem? is it linked to other anti-social behaviour which they encounter, if there is an issue is it being dealt with. Ive already done interviews with some kids from parson cross and i was suprised to hear they think gun crime is a growing problem.

This aint no hollywood film, no dramatics, no shootouts, and definately not to create a false impression!

will you be contacting the police to ask them about their experiences, crime figures, etc.

i know people may be cynical about the polices opinion- but to be honest, when it all goes wrong, theyre the ones that have to pick up the peices.

they may be a useful resource to you in an official capacity.

sophie
x

they are involved yes.

Teafan - the questions asked are not the basis of my film, these are just to find out general peoples views on gun crime here, and to try and distinguish areas with this problem. This film is not to create a false impression of gun crime here either, just to get the truth on the issue.

The film is actually part of a community project to see how kids are affected by this, do they think there is a problem? is it linked to other anti-social behaviour which they encounter, if there is an issue is it being dealt with. Ive already done interviews with some kids from parson cross and i was suprised to hear they think gun crime is a growing problem.

This aint no hollywood film, no dramatics, no shootouts, and definately not to create a false impression!

Good on yer, then!

cheers, i too hope it goes well.

i think gun crime is growing along with all other crime & its 99.9% drug related

99.9% of all crime is drug related or gun? is that what you meant?

Scumbags who need a job!

Scumbags who need a job!

you mean like the guy who has shot my cats 4 times? if he had a job he wouldn't spend all day lurking around trying to shoot at animals.

incidentally, whatever anyone thinks of cats, shooting pets is a crime.

God, they house people like u at walkley?

Why would anybody go around killing cats? have they let u out the chicken pen early or what?

any more views on gun crime? not cat cruelty!

Before the Dunblane tragedy it would cost about £400 to buy a brand new Browning Highpower, or around £250 second-hand. 9mm rounds were about £5-10 per box of 50, depending on the brand. At that time, an illegal semi-automatic 9mm like a Browning would cost probably close to £1000 with a magazine and a handful of rounds.

Since the handgun ban, which has successfully ruined the competition careers of numerous world-ranked British sporting marksmen but achieved little else, you can now buy a revolver or semi-auto pistol with rounds for £50-100. That's scary, because it puts guns within reach of not just the big-time hardened organised crime types, but the petty idiots who just want a gun for image and status. Being young, stupid and unable to match action to consequence, it's these younger petty thieves who are more likely to pull a trigger.

thanks for that bartfast that is very worrying, i never realised guns are so cheap - but this has to explain an increase in gun crime in the UK, and how easy do you think it is to get a gun and more importantly where do these guns come from.

thanks for that bartfast that is very worrying, i never realised guns are so cheap - but this has to explain an increase in gun crime in the UK, and how easy do you think it is to get a gun and more importantly where do these guns come from.

Sadly, there are plenty of dodgy pubs in Sheffield where you can get hold of firearms at short notice if you ask the right (wrong?) people. Not, I hasten to add, anywhere that I drink!

The big influx in weapons came with the Channel Tunnel - if you can smuggle people in, how easy are weapons????!!!

thats true, guns must be alot easier to smuggle than people too! So what do you think the state of sheffield gun scene is bartfast?

Passing gun regulations and laws only keep guns away from law abiding citizens. It does not prevent criminals from aquiring them.

Passing gun regulations and laws only keep guns away from law abiding citizens. It does not prevent criminals from aquiring them.

Tell me about it - I was winning stuff at National level when they were banned.


sheffieldism - truth is I don't really know. I'm sure we're not as far gone as some of the other major cities, but I do hear (through acquaintances who would know) that stuff is a lot more available, and being openly offered sometimes. Afraid I don't have specifics, if I had such information, so would the Police straight away.

To say "99.9% of gun crime is drug related" isn't actually a real statistic is it pk014b7161?
That's just your perception. I would say the majority of gun crime is caused by poverty. If people had a way to provide a decent living for them them & their family that was legal the vast majority would take it. When people feel powerless, ignored and maginalised they will try almost anything to survive.
Im not condoning their actions, just trying to think why things like gun crime happen.

definitely getting worse

To say "99.9% of gun crime is drug related" isn't actually a real statistic is it pk014b7161?
That's just your perception. I would say the majority of gun crime is caused by poverty. If people had a way to provide a decent living for them them & their family that was legal the vast majority would take it. When people feel powerless, ignored and maginalised they will try almost anything to survive.
Im not condoning their actions, just trying to think why things like gun crime happen.

Poverty? People sponging off benefits can afford beer, st tv, holidays, new clothes.
Poverty is living out in the gutter in a third world country, not getting a free ride off the state in the UK.

Gun crime is caused by criminal greed, and the desire of people to have something without having to work for it. In most cases, that is linked to the drug trade.

I'm very concerned about the recent sharp rise in gun crimes in Sheffield. I think the authorities should be doing more to combat this before it gets much worse, as in other major cities. Maybe after the recent incident involving the police officer, it will be taken more seriously.

Well i think that the majority of gun crime is just linked to a couple of areas in Sheffield such as Pitsmoor/Burngreave although of course it can stretch to other areas and has been known to do so.

Gun crime is predominantly linked to drugs and gang warfare. Unfortunately it appears to still associated with the Afro-Carribean community although seems to be finding it's way into the Muslim community (no one shoot me down for this as it's an observation and opinion).

im just in the early process of making a short documentary on sheffield's gun scene - as far as i knew Gun crime isnt a major issue in sheffield, but recently i have heard more stories on this issue. Does anyone have a view on this, is it a rising problem or has it always been there? Does anybody know of areas in sheffield where gun crime is a major problem? are there any victims on here?

thanks

Fife st Wincobank, it's getting like the OK Corall around here.