LONDON—Judges have undermined the fight against gun crime by failing to impose the toughest sentences on criminals caught with handguns, a senior policeman said.
Bernard Hogan-Howe, chief constable of Merseyside Police, said some judges ignored the mandatory five-year jail term for possession of a firearm.
"The message the criminal justice system sends out about the serious consequences that flow from possessing a firearm is an important part of deterring people from carrying guns," he said in an interview in Tuesday's Times newspaper.
"Locally, there is evidence of sentencing where the power is available and has not been used and that is simply wrong."
"I want very heavy sentences for possession of firearms which would deter people from arming others or carrying guns themselves."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a crackdown on gun crime last year after a series of inner-city shootings.
Liverpool saw one of the most high-profile killings last August when 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead as he walked home from football practice.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has described gun crime as one of the government's top priorities.
Hogan-Howe said judges could send a clearer signal to criminals that they risk getting a long prison term if they sell a gun or use one.
"The headline sentence is what people see and what sends out the message," he said. "Nobody wants to see another child shot dead, as happened here last summer.
Courts must be more consistent on sentencing, he added.
In 2005, the average sentence for firearm possession was three years and nine months. Four out of 10 offenders received the mandatory minimum sentence, the BBC reported.
The Ministry of Justice said sentencing was a matter for the courts.
"The mandatory five year sentence for possession of a firearm is a starting point," a spokesman said. "Judges must then take aggravating and mitigating factors into consideration when determining the final sentence."
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the government had failed to get a grip on gun crime.
"They are happy to pass tough laws in order to get a good headline only to simply not enforce them, allowing the situation to deteriorate at great risk to the public."
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