National firearms surrender ends on Sunday

A national firearms surrender ends tomorrow, with police in Shropshire encouraging people to take the opportunity to safely dispose of any unregistered or unwanted firearms.

The campaign started on Monday 13 November and 253 firearms have already been handed in across Warwickshire and West Mercia policing areas (as of the end of Thursday 23 November).

In Shropshire, 39 have been handed in at Telford's Malinsgate Police Station and 35 at Shrewsbury Police Station.

The surrender is part of a national initiative to reduce gun crime and runs until Sunday (26 November). It gives anyone living in the area with a firearm the opportunity to surrender the weapon at their local designated 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.

Chief Inspector Mark Colquhoun said: "We're extremely pleased with the public's response so far, for helping to safely remove unwanted firearms from our communities.

"As part of the initiative, two items, believed to be historic World War One mortar devices, were handed into a police station in Warwickshire on Wednesday afternoon.

"As a precautionary measure, the devices were removed from the station to a safe area where the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team attended. The devices were later examined and found to have no charge and there was no danger to the public.

"Whilst this was an unusual occurrence and not something we would normally receive as part of a surrender, we would ask that if anyone does have similar items of this nature, please contact police first before attempting to move them.

"With only a couple of days left, I'd encourage anyone who hasn't already done so the opportunity to hand in any firearms. By surrendering any unwanted or illegal guns or ammunition, you can be confident they have been safely disposed of and will not fall into the wrong hands. Every firearm surrendered is one less weapon that can be used to commit crime."

All weapons will be destroyed or in exceptional circumstances, if the weapon has historical value, donated to a museum.