Met chief vows to stop violent thugs

Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens today declared war on the "explosion" in street robberies and vowed to lock up a new breed of "arrogant and violent teenage thugs".

Sir John said that the force is having little impact on the problem despite arresting nearly 27 per cent more muggers last year. He said the arrest rate would rise to 60 per cent.

Scotland Yard officers are targeting 320 persistent offenders, but Sir John said the task has been made more difficult because three quarters of those arrested have no previous convictions.

Speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Commissioner described youths who have been in care and been physically and sexually abused, who hang around in gangs rather than go to school. "These people do not have the sensitivities like you and I, and street crime is still going up to an extent that is alarming," he said.

"We've arrested more offenders but it's not having an effect. These are arrogant, abusive and violent thugs and the place for them is in a police station so the public can have a respite from their activities."

In today's meeting at Westminster Sir John warned of the "enormous" number of firearms in London which had led to the Met's officers attending more than 10,000 armed incidents per year. In an effort to curb the number of weapons on the streets Sir John called for new laws banning a lethal air pistol which is being converted by London gangsters to fire real bullets.

The Brocock ME 38 Magnum air pistol accounts for more than half of all recovered weapons in London. Although the Commissioner said he was particularly concerned about the air weapons, he is also pressing Home Secretary David Blunkett for tighter legislation on imitation firearms.

Sir John also warned that London faces problems from large numbers of weapons being smuggled in from Eastern bloc countries, adding: "The amount of firearms circulating in London now is enormous."

He admitted that if any issue made him lose sleep, it was anxiety about innocent people being caught in the crossfire of shootouts connected to turf wars in the drugs trade.

The Home Office confirmed today that the firearms consultative committee is already looking at ways to tighten the law on imitation and converted guns.