A WEAPONS amnesty has been called in response to the alarming violent crimes in Wycombe over the past three weeks the latest of which saw a man shot outside a pub.

The decision was made at a meeting of town leaders last Tuesday, after the alleged murder of pensioner Alan Irwing last month, and the shooting of a man in Arnison Avenue on Saturday, June 4.

Both incidents took place just a few hundred yards from each other. An amnesty, which was originally scheduled for the end of the month, will now be brought forward.

County councillor Chaudhary Ditta and district councillor Julia Wassell have also appealed for more police in east Wycombe following the attacks.

Cllr Wassell said: "We need a greater police presence, CCTV cameras and action to tackle antisocial behaviour, crime and speeding cars.

"It has become a lawless area. Our residents are saying enough is enough."

A police spokesman said the victim of the gun attack a man in his mid 20s remains in a critical but stable condition at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. Gunshots were heard around 11.20pm outside Costcutter, just opposite the Happy Wanderer pub, where the victim had earlier been drinking.

The landlord said the man was not one of his regulars, but had been drinking with three other people until closing time.

After hearing two shots, eyewitnesses saw the man laying in a pool of blood and watched as a car ran over his bleeding and motionless body.

This came two weeks after the death of 74-year-old Alan Irwing, who died following an attack in Underwood Road.

Residents in the area have long called for a more concerted police presence on their streets, and led an unsuccessful campaign to have CCTV cameras installed.

Detectives are still appealing for witnesses to Saturday's shooting.