What we think happened is that multiple guns were recovered, ... and that the serial numbers were not noted at the time, the location of recovery not noted, the time of recovery not noted. By the time they made it to the ballistics lab, it was not known which gun was recovered where.

What has happened is there has been a tremendous surge in demand for buying guns and stocking up on ammunition, ... There's been an upswing of people joining shooting clubs.

Personally, I don't think he is a serial killer but just a thief, an ordinary thief who has been attacking soft targets such as women. And I don't think he was operating alone, there may be others like him, but of course we are investigating that and we shall come to the bottom of it.

It's not as bad as it was yesterday but the swell is up a bit and there's huge numbers of people on the beaches and they don't look like they're going home anytime soon.

That was the one major factor that, when they discontinued its use, the numbers recovered.

Getting relief on that basis, it is harder to imagine a steeper uphill battle than that.