Communities are tackling gun crime, say police
A BIRMINGHAM man spotted posing with a gun on the Facebook social networking site has been jailed for five years.
Majid Khan, from Handsworth, was reported by a fellow user on the popular site after using an image of himself with a gun as his profile picture.
Officers from West Midlands Police responded to the complaint and managed to trace Khan to an address in Birmingham.
They recovered a blank firing pistol which had been converted to fire 8mm bullets following a raid on his home.
Police said Khan, an IT worker, was not linked to any gangs but had an “unhealthy interest in guns.”
The 27-year-old pleaded guilty last month to possession of a firearm and was jailed for five years.
The 27-year-old pleaded guilty last month to possession of a firearm and was jailed for five years.
Det Chief Insp Steve Reed, from Thornhill Road Police Station, said: “We applaud the responsible and decisive action taken by the public.
“Mr Khan had a good job and had no gang links. A gun has only one purpose and thanks to this member of the public we have managed to remove another dangerous weapon from our streets and brought to justice a man who appeared to have an unhealthy interest in firearms.”
The conviction was the latest in a string of successes for police in the Handsworth, Perry Barr and Lozells areas of the city.
The community’s determination to rid the west and central areas of the city of guns has been hailed as the reason for the breakthroughs.
Since April last year police have recovered 67 handguns, shotguns and imitation firearms on the F3 operational command unit – an increase of 11 on the previous year.
Officers have been encouraged by the number of calls from people in the community determined to rid their area of guns.
“The Facebook user who reported Mr Khan to police was typical of the stance members of the public are taking around guns in their communities,” Det Chief Insp Reed said.
