Wembley Gun Factory Raided
Time Out, July 19-26, 1995, p. 11

A makeshift 'factory' in a quiet residential area of Wembley is behind a frightening increase in the number of replica guns that are being restored to full working order and used by criminals across the capital.

In a dawn raid last week on the plush, mock-tudor, five-bedroomed house, officers from the South East Regional Crime Squad and a tactical firearms unit uncovered one fully converted and one partly converted gun.

Officers say many other replicas have been produced in recent months, several of which have been used in robberies.

The house was also being used to produce special ammunition which the guns could use.

More than 25 converted replica guns have been recovered in north London in the past year alone, prompting fresh calls for their sale to be outlawed. Weapons seized include an Israeli Uzi submachine-gun and an AK47 assault rifle.

Unlike deactivated guns--real firearms which have had holes drilled through their barrels and the firing pins removed--replicas are considered completely safe and are openly sold by mail order firms to gun enthusiasts and collectors.

But the Wembley operation has uncovered a way of replacing the solid barrel of a replica gun with a hollow one. The criminals had also learned to convert blank ammunition, which is available without a license to anyone over the age of 17, into lethal live rounds. The guns cost as little as £25 each and police believe dozens may have been sold on to north London criminals in the six months that the house was under surveillance.

By comparison, deactivated weapons can cost up to £300 and sell on for up to £1,000 once altered.

A spokesman for the South East Regional Crimes Squad told _Time Out_: 'These weapons form a worrying cheap alternative to the traditional firearms that criminals use. We are relieved to have uncovered this operation--it is a tremendous breakthrough.'

London's criminals are becoming ever more innovative in their search for new weapons. This is partly due to major law enforcement crackdowns, but also because opportunities to buy real weapons have declined with the legitimate trade in recession.

Two former soldiers have been arrested and charged in connection with the raid. Both men have been released on police bail and are due to appear in court later this month.

_Tony Thompson_