Gun crime in England and Wales has doubled since 1997.

One gun crime is committed every hour and, while media attention has focused on gangland killings involving young men in our larger cities, the problem is not confined to those areas - there were 85 firearms offences and 1,009 offensive weapons crimes in Sussex last year.

So what is the answer?

First, legislation must be effective.

There is already a fiveyear minimum sentence for those found guilty of the possession of illegal firearms.

But since a court judgment last May, these have not been enforceable.

It took the recent spate of killings in London before the home secretary announced that he would close this loophole.

But there are already a lot of laws.

They need to be enforced.

That means police officers on our streets.

When, in the Nineties, Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Bill Bratton pioneered "zero tolerance"

policing in New York and put far more cops on the streets, the city - once one of the most violent in the world - saw a 70 per cent reduction in homicides in just eight years, taking them to their lowest level since 1965.

Tough enforcement also needs a dedicated border police force to deal with the flow of guns, which are now available for as little as £50.

The Government claims to have increased police numbers. Where are they?

They are tied up with paperwork in police stations.

Less than a fifth of a police officer's time is spent on the beat.

Patrols are increasingly reliant on community support officers - but the Government has cut the number promised for Sussex by 171. So much for that manifesto pledge.

The police alone can't deal with the problem of gangs so we need to address what is driving gangland activity - and tackle it.

Gangs are recruiting ever younger children for their activities.

Family breakdown, a lack of male role models, failing schools and the increasing prevalence of drugs are all factors that enable gangs to thrive and help to glamorise the gun.

It is essential marriage and stable families are actively supported.

I agree with the chief constable of Merseyside Police, who said recently families and those who support gun criminals should be held responsible for their actions and yobs should be excluded from communities where they are causing trouble.

British gangs are not as established as they are in US cities. When I visited Chicago recently, I saw for myself the scale of the problem the police can face if gangland activity becomes entrenched.

We must not let that happen here.

Tony Blair is expert at holding emergency Downing Street summits and especially good at calling in the cameras to film them.

But a one-hour meeting and Government spin won't solve the problem of violence on our streets.

What's needed is a combination of effective laws, tough enforcement and determined social action - plus real political leadership, as Giuliani showed in New York City , to see the programme through.