West Mercia Police support national firearms surrender

West Mercia Police is supporting a national firearms surrender that aims to make communities safer.

The surrender will run for two weeks until November 26, and will give the public the opportunity to safely dispose of a firearm by simply taking it to a local police station and handing it in.

During the surrender, firearms can be deposited at Malinsgate and Shrewsbury police stations.

The national initiative is being co-ordinated by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) with all forces in England and Wales, including West Mercia Police, taking part. The aim is to reduce the number of illegal or unlicensed firearms in circulation and to decrease the opportunities for firearms to be used in a criminal offence.

During the last surrender in 2014, more than 6000 items were handed into police nationally. These included hand guns, rifles, shotguns, antique guns and imitation firearms, as well as ammunition. Within West Mercia, 323 weapons were handed into local stations, the vast majority of these were not being used for criminal use.

People surrendering firearms will not be required to leave any information but if police suspect a weapon may have been involved in a crime, they will examine it for evidence. All surrendered weapons will be destroyed or in exceptional circumstances, if the weapon has historical value, it may be donated to a museum.

Illegal possession of a firearm can mean five years behind bars and if you are found guilty of possession with intent to supply it can lead to a life sentence.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: "I am committed to building communities where people are safe and feel safe. Through initiatives like this, West Mercia Police are taking illegitimate weapons off our streets and helping people to feel more secure, particularly in our rural communities where there a higher number of licensed and legitimate firearms holders.

"Fortunately, any kind of gun crime is rare in West Mercia's policing areas, and I am committed to ensuring West Mercia Police have the resources to continue to protect our communities."

Ahead of the surrender, chief inspector Mark Colquhoun said: "Compared with other areas of the country we don't have a significant gun problem, but we are keen to support this national campaign to help keep our communities safe. The whole aim is to remove any firearms that could potentially be used in a crime from public circulation.

"Our policing area has a large number of licensed firearms owners, and this is also an opportunity for them to hand in old weapons or guns they no longer require. The majority of the firearms handed in during the last surrender were older items that the owner no longer needed and wanted to safely dispose of."