Over 87 firearms handed in during surrender campaign
A two week police firearms surrender campaign led to 87 weapons being handed in at two police stations in Shropshire.
The campaign, which started on Monday 13 November and ended on Sunday (26 November), gave anyone with a firearm the opportunity to surrender it at their local designated police station. A total of 228 firearms and 93 lots of ammunition have been surrendered across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.
Officers say that all of these have now been made safe and most of them will be taken away to be cut up and melted down. Exceptionally rare weapons or those with high historical value may be donated to a museum.
Following the campaign, Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: "We've had a great public response to the firearms surrender and I'd like to thank everyone who played their part in the initiative.
"Although we don't have a significant gun crime problem within our policing areas, every weapon has the potential to fall into the wrong hands and thanks to this support, 228 firearms have now been taken out of circulation.
"I'd like to express my gratitude to everyone who handed in weapons or ammunition during this time. It is great to see that there are so many people as committed as we are to making our communities even safer and protecting people from harm."
West Mercia Police and Commissioner John Campion said: "By reducing the number of weapons in our area, our communities are safer and feel safer. I am pleased that the public have actively supported the police by taking part in this surrender.
"Whilst we are fortunate that any kind of gun crime is rare in our communities, I am committed to ensuring West Mercia Police have the resources to continue to protect the public."
Even though this campaign is over, members of the public are still able to hand in any firearms or ammunition they no longer want. This can be done at your local designated police station - please call 101 for more information.
