Met boosts gun crime fight

The shooting of Toni-Ann and her father is fuelling outrage over guns

The Metropolitan Police is to step up its fight against gang violence in the wake of the murder of a seven-year-old girl and her father.

Officers hope to expand the Operation Trident gun crime initiative, focused on crimes predominantly affecting black communities, to tackle drugs, the trade in replica weapons and even shootings among all ethnic groups.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Coles, who runs the taskforce, has announced an increase of personnel, bringing numbers of officers from 267 to 300.

More funding is also expected for the operation, which was launched five years ago.

The boost comes amid horror over the apparent gangland shooting of schoolgirl Toni-Ann Byfield and her father Bertram, 41, at their home in Kensal Green, north-west London on 14 September.

'Fear high'

Mr Coles said: "The level of fear in the community is extremely high because the kind of people we are talking about are the kind who would shoot a seven-year-old girl in the back. They are ruthless beyond belief."

He will meet members of the Trident independent advisory group to discuss changes in the next couple of days, including chairman Lee Jasper, who is also the mayor of London's advisor on policing.

Mr Coles added: "We don't want to be in the position where we are only reacting to crime. We want to stop it in the first place."

Scotland Yard says it is keen to extend the campaign's success to other areas, after bringing charges in 10 of this year's 12 Operation Trident murders.

'Volatile community'

Toni-Ann's murder has made officers more determined to tackle gangland bloodletting, said a spokesman.

Earlier this week neighbours held a candlelit vigil near the bedsit where Toni-Ann died.

Local peace campaigner Reverend Nims Obunge said: "We will no longer tolerate in our families, not just our communities, people who are involved in certain kinds of trade which result in what happened to Toni-Ann."

Cheryl Townsend, of voluntary group Brent Community Enforcement, said: "I think it has brought it home for us, what kind of a community we are living in and how volatile and dangerous it is."