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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Stun guns bought via mail order come through UK Customs | Stun guns bought via mail order come through UK Customs |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| By Zack Adesina and Ed Davey BBC News, London | By Zack Adesina and Ed Davey BBC News, London |
| Stun guns with a voltage 20 times stronger than police Tasers can be illegally imported into the UK with ease, a BBC investigation has found. | Stun guns with a voltage 20 times stronger than police Tasers can be illegally imported into the UK with ease, a BBC investigation has found. |
| Possessing a stun gun carries a maximum jail sentence of 10 years but Inside Out bought two devices by mail order - which both made it through customs. | Possessing a stun gun carries a maximum jail sentence of 10 years but Inside Out bought two devices by mail order - which both made it through customs. |
| The BBC also obtained figures showing police have seized hundreds on the streets of London in recent years. | The BBC also obtained figures showing police have seized hundreds on the streets of London in recent years. |
| The UK Border Force (UKBF) insists it is tackling the problem. | The UK Border Force (UKBF) insists it is tackling the problem. |
| Statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show the Metropolitan Police has investigated more than 200 crimes involving the weapons in the past three years. | Statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show the Metropolitan Police has investigated more than 200 crimes involving the weapons in the past three years. |
| Over the same period they seized about 500 stun guns. | Over the same period they seized about 500 stun guns. |
| The weapons are legally manufactured abroad - but cannot be bought in the UK. | The weapons are legally manufactured abroad - but cannot be bought in the UK. |
| Yet there were no questions about age or criminal status as the BBC ordered a pair of powerful stun guns from a German website for £60 each. | Yet there were no questions about age or criminal status as the BBC ordered a pair of powerful stun guns from a German website for £60 each. |
| Both weapons, sent separately, arrived in days. And each came with a free - and illegal - pepper spray. | Both weapons, sent separately, arrived in days. And each came with a free - and illegal - pepper spray. |
| At one million volts, one of the guns had a voltage 20 times that of the 50,000 volt weapons carried by police. | At one million volts, one of the guns had a voltage 20 times that of the 50,000 volt weapons carried by police. |
| Eran Bauer, of Civil Defence Supply - which trains the UK police in using Tasers - described it as "one heck of a brute". | |
| After seeing it fired he said: "That's lightning - horrendous tool. I don't believe you managed to get one of these. That is seriously dangerous." | After seeing it fired he said: "That's lightning - horrendous tool. I don't believe you managed to get one of these. That is seriously dangerous." |
| Mr Bauer explained: "You are going to end up with skin burns for a start, and it's subcutaneous damage. | Mr Bauer explained: "You are going to end up with skin burns for a start, and it's subcutaneous damage. |
| "If it goes into the neck across the nerves you can just imagine the damage. | "If it goes into the neck across the nerves you can just imagine the damage. |
| "Hit across the chest then anything could happen - [it could] end up killing someone." | "Hit across the chest then anything could happen - [it could] end up killing someone." |
| He added: "This has got to be stopped at source. There must be some way of screening mail." | He added: "This has got to be stopped at source. There must be some way of screening mail." |
| Reformed gang member Daryl James believes the growing appeal of stun guns for teenage gangs is a result of the crackdown on knife and gun crime. | Reformed gang member Daryl James believes the growing appeal of stun guns for teenage gangs is a result of the crackdown on knife and gun crime. |
| 'People find alternatives' | 'People find alternatives' |
| He said: "You can't have all these youngers [young gang members] running about with stun guns - they'll stun everybody. | He said: "You can't have all these youngers [young gang members] running about with stun guns - they'll stun everybody. |
| "As we move forward into knife bans, gun bans, people find alternatives." | "As we move forward into knife bans, gun bans, people find alternatives." |
| Mr James said stun guns were a more effective tool for bank robbers than guns or knives - as they left victims momentarily paralysed with less risk of death. | Mr James said stun guns were a more effective tool for bank robbers than guns or knives - as they left victims momentarily paralysed with less risk of death. |
| The Met declined to be interviewed on the issue. | The Met declined to be interviewed on the issue. |
| But former murder squad Detective Chief Inspector Pete Kirkham believes stun guns have become the weapon of choice for many criminals. | But former murder squad Detective Chief Inspector Pete Kirkham believes stun guns have become the weapon of choice for many criminals. |
| He said: "Stun guns have been used in armed robberies. | He said: "Stun guns have been used in armed robberies. |
| "They turn up in aggravated burglaries, in disputes between drug dealers - that's the range of serious crimes." | "They turn up in aggravated burglaries, in disputes between drug dealers - that's the range of serious crimes." |
| Mr Kirkham said front-line police were exasperated by the ease with which stun guns made it past customs. | Mr Kirkham said front-line police were exasperated by the ease with which stun guns made it past customs. |
| The UKBF was unable to say how many stun guns it had seized last year. | The UKBF was unable to say how many stun guns it had seized last year. |
| A spokesman said the most recent year for which it was able to provide figures was 2008/2009 - almost four years ago, when 160 were seized. | A spokesman said the most recent year for which it was able to provide figures was 2008/2009 - almost four years ago, when 160 were seized. |
| Labour has called it a "worrying admission", adding: "If UKBF don't even know how many stun guns have been stopped at the border, how can it possibly address this problem?" | Labour has called it a "worrying admission", adding: "If UKBF don't even know how many stun guns have been stopped at the border, how can it possibly address this problem?" |
| Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: "I'm absolutely shocked there are present on the streets stun guns more powerful than weapons being used by our police. | Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: "I'm absolutely shocked there are present on the streets stun guns more powerful than weapons being used by our police. |
| 'Must take action' | 'Must take action' |
| "How is it possible for someone to go online and get a gun into this country through what we are told is one of the most sophisticated borders in the world? | "How is it possible for someone to go online and get a gun into this country through what we are told is one of the most sophisticated borders in the world? |
| "Clearly it's important we take action to find out what's gone wrong and I intend to raise the matter with the head of the Border Agency and the home secretary when she appears before the committee." | "Clearly it's important we take action to find out what's gone wrong and I intend to raise the matter with the head of the Border Agency and the home secretary when she appears before the committee." |
| The UKBF declined to be interviewed but in a statement it said: "The UK Border Force, Revenue and Customs and police work together to target importation of illegal weapons, and those who seek to bring weapons into the country." | The UKBF declined to be interviewed but in a statement it said: "The UK Border Force, Revenue and Customs and police work together to target importation of illegal weapons, and those who seek to bring weapons into the country." |
| The agency denied it had stopped counting stun gun seizures altogether. A spokesman claimed the statistics from 2009/2010 on were "in the verification process". | The agency denied it had stopped counting stun gun seizures altogether. A spokesman claimed the statistics from 2009/2010 on were "in the verification process". |
| The BBC will hand the stun guns to police. | The BBC will hand the stun guns to police. |
| BBC Inside Out is on BBC One in the London region on Monday, 7 January at 19:30 GMT and nationwide on the iPlayer for seven days following transmission. | BBC Inside Out is on BBC One in the London region on Monday, 7 January at 19:30 GMT and nationwide on the iPlayer for seven days following transmission. |