Northamptonshire Police remove 41 dangerous weapons from the streets
The force have revealed the results following a successful five-week firearms surrender campaign.
Northamptonshire Police have removed 41 dangerous weapons from the streets following a successful five-week firearms surrender campaign.
Police say by handing in unwanted or illegal guns, local residents have helped prevent potentially lethal weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
The five-week firearms surrender began on August 26 and lasted until October 5.
It's been led by the Force’s Central Operations Team, and came after the introduction of legislative changes which mean it is no longer legal to own specific firearms without a licence, if at all in some cases, and the amnesty gave people the opportunity to dispose of both illegal firearms and ammunition safely.
While nationally and locally, crimes involving firearms remain low, any incident involving a gun within our communities is one too many, and the aim of the campaign is to stop such lethal weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
The weapons handed in included 22 firearms, the majority of which were shotguns, however there were also a few rifles and a historic handgun.
In addition to these, among the haul were also nine imitation firearms, eight air rifles and a nail gun as well as an edged weapon.
Those who handed weapons over to a specially trained police officer did not face prosecution for illegal possession, at the point of surrender, and could remain anonymous.
Northamptonshire Police Central Operations Inspector Craig Johnson, who led the campaign, said: “We would like to thank everyone who handed in any firearms or edged weapons as part of this surrender – they have potentially saved a life.
“As a result of their action, we now have 41 fewer dangerous weapons on our streets. These could have easily fallen into the hands of criminals but instead have made our communities a safer place to live and work.
“Although serious violence involving firearms remains low in Northamptonshire, we can never become complacent and as this campaign clearly demonstrates, surrenders such as this are invaluable in the recovery of illegal weapons.”
Anyone with information or concerns about illegal firearms can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
If you are a licensed firearm holder and would like advice, the force say you can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or visit Firearms licensing | Northamptonshire Police.