Amnesty: Just six firearms handed in
JUST six firearms have been handed into police in Nuneaton as an amnesty continues to get illegal and unwanted weapons off the streets of the borough.
It is the least amount to be handed in across the entire Warwickshire and West Mercia region as the campaign enters its second and final week. As previously reported, the Vicarage Street-based station was chosen as just one of three across Warwickshire to take part in the amnesty.
So far a grand total of 159 firearms have been handed in during the first week of the Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police firearms surrender campaign - but just six in Nuneaton.
Anyone with any firearms still have chance to simply hand them in at the local station as the amnesty, which is part of a nationwide drive to cut gun crime, runs until Sunday (November 26);
Chief Inspector Mark Colquhoun was keen to stress the danger of firearms falling into the wrong hands: “Compared with other areas of the country we don’t have a major 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.
“Within Warwickshire and West Mercia policing areas, there are around 46,000 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.
“People may have older or historical weapons stored in lofts or garages which have been inherited or passed down through the family, and these can also be disposed of during the surrender. While these are not being used for criminal activities, they can and sometimes do fall into the wrong hands and can then be used to commit crimes. “We’re extremely pleased with the public’s response so far and the support they have shown in helping us to make the region safer. “The surrender ends on Sunday, and I would encourage as many people as possible to take this opportunity to hand in any unregistered firearms or firearms they no longer require during this time.”
It has been stressed that people surrendering firearms will not need 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 it has historical value, it may be donated to a museum.
Those who have any concerns about people in possession of firearms should call 101 or 999 in an emergency. Details can also be passed on to the Crimestoppers hotline, which is free to call from a landline and confidential, on 0800 555 111
Compared with other areas of the country we don’t have a major gun problem... the whole idea is to remove any firearms. Chief Inspector