Courts are supposed to convict criminals - not attract them. But the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police says gangs from Manchester are causing trouble in Preston, when they travel there to support other gang members on trial at Preston Crown Court.

Caroline Cheetham took a look around one of the areas affected and sent this blog entry back to us.

Preston isn't the usual place to find drug dealing gangs arming themselves with guns, but increasingly, that's what happening. Gangs of white and Asian youths are dealing drugs and using firearms to get easy cash.

The usual things are to blame: rap music, no facilities, teenagers feeling isolated from society, but curiously the blame is also being put at the door of Preston Crown Court.

Lancashire Police Chief Constable Steve Finnigan has told the BBC that serious trials which are moved to Preston from Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are fuelling an increase in the number of gang members arming themselves with guns.

It seems that when the gang members move into Preston the stakes are raised for local gangs who decide they need to have guns to compete. Violence and crime among the different groups then spirals.

In the past two years there have been 736 incidents involving guns in Lancashire, just less than London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the West Midlands. Police say there are at least 100 gang members in Preston and there have been 17 shootings the past year. No-one has yet been killed but one man was blinded.

Local youth worker Faz Khan says the problem is increasing because local youths know thay can get away with it and the rewards are immense. Nicky spoke to him this morning.

listen back to the interview here.

So the police are going after the Mr Bigs. They are targetting the men and women who are responsible for importing the guns - usually from Poland. Last week 10 people were arrested and charged with the importation of guns and drugs.

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