Youth shot in the stomach

The attack happened at a travellers' site

A 16-year-old youth has been shot in the stomach in an attack at a caravan site in Glasgow.

Police are treating the shooting as attempted murder and have appealed for witnesses.

The teenager, who has not been named, was attacked at a travellers' caravan site on Rodney Street in the Maryhill area of the city at about 2115GMT on Saturday.

Two men in a silver-coloured Ford Focus drove onto the site and opened fire.

Burned out

The youth, who suffered pellet wounds to his stomach and legs, was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

He has since been released.

After the attack, the two gunmen drove off into Possil Road.

Their vehicle was later found burned out on Dawson Road.

Police believe they may have transferred to another vehicle during their getaway.

The attackers are described as slim and in their late twenties or early thirties.

One of them was wearing a baseball cap.

There are in Scotland still some key problems and I think crimes of violence and crimes involving weapons, not just guns but also knives, are still far too many

First Minister Jack McConnell

The shooting comes at a time when fears are growing over the rise in gun crime across the UK.

Two girls were murdered in Birmingham last week after being caught in the crossfire during a gang battle.

In the wake of the Birmingham shootings UK Home Secretary David Blunkett has already signalled his intention to introduce a five-year minimum sentence for anyone who illegally possesses a gun.

First Minister Jack McConnell said crime involving weapons was on the increase and gave his backing to the tougher laws proposed by David Blunkett.

He said: "There are in Scotland still some key problems and I think crimes of violence and crimes involving weapons, not just guns but also knives, are still far too many.

"The figures show an increase and therefore we need to be tough in our response to that and, if we have to, we need to not just ensure that the police have the right resources, but that we have new laws to tackle gun crime and other weapons."