Over 200 firearms handed in during first week of campaign
A total of 263 firearms have been handed in during the first week of the West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police firearms surrender campaign.
Of those firearms surrendered, 182 have been handed in to police stations in the West Mercia policing area.
In Shropshire, 30 have so far been handed in at Malinsgate Police Station and 34 at Shrewsbury.
The campaign is part of a national operation to reduce gun crime and runs across the West Mercia and Warwickshire policing areas until Sunday 16 November. It gives anyone living in the area with a firearm the opportunity to surrender the weapon at their local police station. People surrendering weapons will not be required to leave any information but if police suspect a weapon may have been involved in a crime, they will examine the gun for evidence.
The region does not have a significant gun crime problem but Superintendent Charles Hill is keen to emphasise the danger of firearms falling into the wrong hands: “We know that there are a lot of unregistered firearms in the region, perhaps in people’s lofts or garages, and these can and do fall into the wrong hands and end up being used for criminal activity. Every firearm handed in is one less weapon that can fall into the wrong hands.
“We’re extremely pleased with the public’s response to this campaign and the support they have shown in helping us to make the region safer and protect people from harm. The campaign ends on Sunday and I would encourage as many people as possible to take this opportunity to hand in any unregistered firearms or firearms they no longer require.”
All surrendered weapons will be destroyed or in exceptional circumstances, if the weapon has historical value, donated to a museum.
