Crime gangs may be fighting with guns on Sydney's streets

Crime gangs may be fighting with guns on Sydney's streets but the city isn't a crime capital like New York or Los Angeles, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says.

Speaking after two shootings in western Sydney, Mr Scipione said it was important to remember that gun crime trends in the state had been falling.

"This isn't a place like Los Angeles or New York, if you look at the gun crimes, the number of homicides in those place," Mr Scipione told reporters on Tuesday.

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He cited figures showing there were 513 crimes involving any type of gun in the year to September 2010, down from 1,128 offences in 2004.

Most events were related to drugs, personal matters or organised crime.

"My greatest concern is the propensity of organised crime to rely on the use of a firearm to resolve an issue seems to be increasing," Mr Scipione said.

A search of AAP news archives shows that in the six months to February 15 this year, there were 24 shootings - an average of one a week - and mainly in western Sydney.

Many of the shootings resulted in leg wounds and this week there have been two separate shootings in western Sydney, putting four men in hospital.

The issue became political on Tuesday, as the coalition promised an extra $20 million for hi-tech equipment for police, if it wins the March 26 state election.

Premier Kristina Keneally said gun crime was falling and vowed police would clamp down on bad behaviour by a small number of individuals.