Met reports growth in 'respect' gun crime

Crimes where teenagers choose to use firearms to settle disputes over slights to their reputation or other minor disagreements are becoming increasingly common, according to the Metropolital Police.

The new phenomenon sees gunmen intending to injure their victims rather than kill. Criminals aim at a rival's legs and leave them with 'war wounds'. Police figures say that there have been 72 such shootings, double the number for last year.

Commander Martin Hewitt told The Daily Telegraph that the inclination to use 'extreme levels of violence for seemingly very little reason' was a new phenomenon. 'When Operation Trident first started, the gun crime that was taking place was the enforced offshoot of criminal activity. Where it is different now is that it is less to do with organised crime but more to do with respect issues and disagreements. It is more chaotic, more spontaneous. It is a matter of reputation and issues around peer pressure.'

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