Gun banks for police forces to be created at Oswestry British Ironwork Centre
The British Ironwork Centre is to build and supply British police forces with their own gun banks, it has been revealed.
Clive Knowles, the chairman of the British Ironwork Centre in Aston, near Oswestry, has today confirmed West Midlands Police will be the first police force in the country it builds a gun bank for.
It comes as David Jamieson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, is to present the British Ironwork Centre with a commendation for supporting the national effort to remove weapons off the streets, through the centre's work in building and supplying police forces with knife banks.
The recovered knifes have subsequently help to form the Shropshire Knife Angel sculpture, created by the Shropshire-based British Ironwork Centre as a national monument to victims of knife crime.
Mr Knowles said: "At a time when gun crime statistics are up nationally, creation of the gun banks couldn't come at a more crucial time.
"As with the Knife Angel, we're hoping to create a symbol of peace from the guns but first of all we have to successfully meet a specification from the Home Office, and this will be something that belongs to the whole country, not just Shropshire.
"I'm pleased that our efforts to remove knives from our streets are being recognised in such a way by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner."
He added: "I just hope it strengthens our fight to get the Knife Angel on display on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth in London."
