SOME British Asian teenagers are
carrying guns because they have
no confidence that the police can
protect them from street gangs.
Eastern Eye has been told that some
young Bangladeshi and Pakistani boys
are asking their elder relatives to buy a
handgun for them.
Youth workers claim that British
Asians are disillusioned with the police
because they seem to put more effort
into stop and search techniques and
terror raids rather than patrolling the
streets to protect them from criminals.
In further proof that relations bet-
ween British Muslims and the police are
worsening, teenagers have resorted to
arming themselves with guns in cities
such as Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol,
Cardiff, Coventry, east London, Man-
chester and Reading.
They buy shotguns for as little as £50
from Asian and white illegal dealers in
London and Birmingham – with some
splashing out £40 on a bullet-proof vest.
Experts who Eastern Eye spoke to
claim the youths live in poor inner cities
and carry guns to gain ‘respect’ that will
deter other gangs from attacking them.
The trend of British Muslims carrying
guns has yet to catch the attention of
the mainstream media because it has
not led to a spate of shootings such as
those involving Black youths.
Just one per cent of suspects for all
firearm homicides and shootings last
year were Asian, compared to four per
cent of victims.
EE attended a Gun Crimes And Racism
forum in Croydon, south London, last
month, which discussed how to steer
youths away from gun crime and
improve relations with police.
The event was organised by Sabina’s
Trust Against Revolvers and Racism to
mark the fourth anniversary of the
shooting of Sabina Rizvi. The 25-year-
old woman was driving in Bexleyheath,
south London, in 2003 when her car
was ambushed. She died in a hail of
machine-gun bullets and police are still
hunting for her killers.
The panel included Suresh Grover,
from the Monitoring Group, musician
and political activist Aki Nawaz, ex-
gang members, and mums who lost
their child to gun violence.
Nawaz said at