Gangsters forced to rent guns as recession bites

London, January 11 (ANI): Recession seems to have hit the crime world too, as rival crime gangs in Britain are being forced to share guns.

Police chiefs have pointed out that people in the "middle market," between users and suppliers, have been renting out specific weapons to separate shootings all over the country.

The National Ballistics Intelligence Service also took note of the pics, of boasting criminals with their guns, posted on networking sites like Bebo and Facebook.

"We see the same guns being used over and over again. Scarcity is such that they are exploiting that weapon, to lease and rent those firearms out," the Daily Star quoted Det Chief Supt Paul James as saying.

He added: "The same gun can be used by people on both sides of the equation. One gun on an estate can be used by people you would not expect to be allies."

In the past decade, there has been an almost a double rise in firearm offences amounting to 9,865 cases.

Inner city estates like Manchester's Moss Side have been ravaged by Turf wars.

However, police minister David Hanson said: "Pioneering ballistics work is helping to bring these ruthless criminals to justice and clamp down on those using guns illegally." (ANI)