Slight rise in shootings in city

The city had 13 shootings in 2006 compared with 11 a year earlier. There have been ten shootings so far in 2007.

However, the figures are down from 2003 when 51 shootings took place - an average of one a week compared to last year's average of one a month.

The figures do not include incidents involving replica guns which have been converted to fire live ammunition.

Conflict resolution

Figures from the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham showed a steeper rise in the number of patients with bullet wounds - up from 21 in 2005 to 32 in 2006.

The hospital figures include patients from outside Nottingham.

Gun crime

• 13 shootings - 2006
• 11 shootings - 2005
• 42 shootings - 2004
• 51 shootings - 2003

Local teenagers from inner-city areas have been visiting Belfast to learn how to resolve conflict as part of a drive to reduce gun crime.

Police officials insist that gun crime in Nottingham is far less serious than in larger cities like London and Manchester.

Police also said they were catching more people who carried guns and getting better intelligence from local communities.

Supt Paul Cottee said there was still more work to be done.

"We would like think that some of the work that has been ongoing in the past few years has had an impact," he said.

The city's updated Nottingham Stand Together strategy - unveiled on Tuesday - aims to "track, control and either imprison or change the behaviour of key offenders while diverting and discouraging young people from getting involved in a life of crime."

Supt Cottee said the number of knife incidents in Nottingham decreased from 600 in 2004-2005 compared with 510 in 2005-2006.

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