Fewer than one in three people found guilty in West Yorkshire of carrying a firearm is being thrown in prison, figures have revealed.

According to the Ministry of Justice 47 people were found guilty - of which 43 were over 18.

But only 13 were given a prison sentence, the equivalent of only 30 per cent.

The most recent figures available for 2006 show nationally 1,077 people were found guilty of the crime and 291 sent to prison - an average of 29 per cent.

Tom McGhie, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, called for mandatory prison sentences for criminals who use firearms citing the gunpoint murders of Bradford PC Sharon Beshenivsky in 2005 and PC Ian Broadhurst in Leeds in 2003 as evidence of the dangers his officers faced.

He said: "Firearms per se are dangerous and they put the public and police officers at risk and we have had two colleagues murdered because of illegal firearms.

"We don't want people to carry firearms but, if they do, the inference is that they are prepared to use them and they should be sent to prison.

"Why people do not always go to prison depends on the circumstances of each case. Firearms offences can also be someone carrying bullets and ammunition so we do not know if everyone was carrying a gun."

PC Beshenivsky was shot dead when she investigated a robbery at a travel agent's in Morley Street, Bradford, in November 2005.

PC Ian Broadhurst, who lived in Birkenshaw, Bradford, was shot dead on Boxing Day 2003 while on duty in Leeds.

PC Beshenivsky's widower, Paul, has already called for the death penalty for anyone who attacks officers.

The Tories, who uncovered the figures in a parliamentary answer, said the low number of those found guilty going to prison was a direct result of Labour's failure to address the prison crisis.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "It is bad enough that so many people are resorting to using firearms but it is disgraceful that so few people are receiving custodial sentences. Serious criminals are not where they should be - in jail."

Last week the prison population in England and Wales reached full capacity.

The Ministry of Justice said that there were 82,068 inmates in jails - 96 over the Prison Service's "operational capacity".

A Home Office spokesman said: "We already have the toughest firearms legislation anywhere in the world and are making it tougher.

"We have introduced five-year mandatory minimum sentence (three years for 16-17 year olds), a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon, with five year minimum sentence, plus aggravating factor if person used is a minor "In addition we have banned sale, manufacture or import of realistic imitation firearms and are looking how we can get deactivated firearms off our streets."

"From next month the National Ballistics Intelligence Service will have a complete register of all firearms and ammunition recovered by the police and will be able to tell, within 24 hours, if that firearm is linked to another offence anywhere in the country."

The latest figures come weeks after the Telegraph & Argus revealed fewer than one in ten people found guilty of carrying a knife in West Yorkshire are being given prison sentences.

Home Office figures revealed firearms offences in West Yorkshire fell from 355 in 2005/6 to 319 in 2006/07.

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