Latest crime figures were being published by ministers today.

The last set of quarterly figures, issued in October, showed gun offences had reached a record 10,250 in 2002-2003.

Poignantly, today's batch of data will cover last September - the month when seven-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield was fatally shot in the back in north London and 64-year-old Marian Bates was killed during a robbery at her Nottingham jeweller's shop.

Ministers were also due to announce that a new five-year minimum term for possession of an illegal firearm will come into force today.

A breakdown of gun crime in the October data showed total firearms offences in England and Wales increased 3% in the last financial year. This was less than a tenth of the 35% increase seen the year before, leading Home Office officials to conclude that the increase in gun crime peaked in autumn 2002.

It had been falling since November 2002, they said.

After the last data, ministers expressed concerns about levels of violent crime overall.

Levels rose 9% in the three months from April to June to 272,900 offences, compared with 249,500 in the same period the year before.

More serious attacks such as major assaults and homicides rose 7% to 10,300.

Overall recorded crime rates remained ''unchanged'', according to the Home Office, while the number of offences reported by interviewees in the British Crime Survey - which excludes crimes against children and businesses - fell by 5%.

More details of firearms and homicide statistics for 2002-2003 financial year were due to be issued today, alongside the quarterly figures for July to September last year.