POLICE recorded more than 100 gun crimes in Sussex during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, figures show.

Lockdowns and other Covid restrictions contributed to gun crime dropping nationally in the year to March, but police forces across England and Wales still logged thousands of offences.

Home Office figures show Sussex Police recorded 115 crimes involving firearms that year – and has dealt with 1,053 since police force level records began in 2007-08.

There were seven firearm offences for every 100,000 people in the Sussex policing area in 2020-21, down from 11 the year before.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "Although figures decreased last year during the pandemic, as with many other types of crime, the frequency of use of firearms in crime remains low in Sussex, and below the average for England and Wales.

"Figures include incidents in which a firearm of some kind is reported to have been used as a threat, and incidents in which a member of the public believes there to have been a firearm involved, for example where a window may have been broken by a projectile from a firearm though one was not seen and no projectile was recovered.

"There were only seven cases of actual firing of a shotgun, handgun or rifle during the year. Only one caused injury.

"We take all reports of the potential or actual use of firearms in crime very seriously. Each one is responded to and thoroughly investigated and we ask the public to continue to report any sightings of firearms suspicious circumstances, or any other information, to us via 101, or via 999 if it is an emergency.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said there is more work to be done nationally to stop those intent on carrying weapons and prevent the "terrible consequences" of gun crime.

The data covers crimes involving lethal firearms like shotguns and handguns and non-lethal weapons such as stun guns, but excludes offences involving air weapons.

It shows weapons were discharged or fired 50 times during incidents recorded by Sussex Police last year.

Nationally, more than 1,000 people were injured and dozens died as a result of gun crime in 2020-21, when forces in England and Wales tackled 5,700 firearms offences.

Robberies and violent attacks made up more than half of all gun crimes, with offences most common on the streets.

The largest proportion of crimes involved handguns, while weapons were fired in more than half of the incidents recorded. Victims were most likely to be in their 20s.

Gun crime dropped nationally by 14 per cent compared with 2019-20 and has fallen significantly over 13 years – last year, it was 42 per cent lower than in 2007-8.

Sussex Police logged 69 gun crimes in 2007-8, 67 per cent fewer than last year and the equivalent of four in every 100,000 people.

The number of firearm crimes recorded by the force was at its highest in 2019-20.