[dropcap type=”circle”]M[/dropcap]erseyside Police is joining police forces from across the North West in appealing for people to ‘Give up the Gun’ with a two week surrender of firearms and ammunition, which started at 7am this morning.
It’s been almost two years since the last firearms surrender, where forces ask members of the public to surrender unlawfully held or unwanted guns and ammunition to prevent them from getting into the wrong hands.
Many firearms are held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or are overlooked and forgotten in people’s homes. Others are acquired and distributed by criminal networks to harm, threaten and intimidate their local communities. The surrender gives the chance to dispose of the firearm or ammunition with no questions asked, by simply taking it to a local police station and handing it in – before a police operation to retrieve them takes place.
The surrender will be held for two weeks from today until Monday 18 April. Surrendering unwanted, unlicensed weapons avoids the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.
During that period, those surrendering firearms will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and can remain anonymous. During the last surrender on Merseyside, in 2014, a total of 126 weapons including 25 shotguns, five rifles and 11 handguns were handed in together with a large quantity of ammunition.
Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland said: “The firearms surrender will run in tandem with our on-going proactive approach to taking firearms off the streets. In recent years there have been some changes in legislation in relation to antique firearms and some people may also have replica and decommissioned firearms in their homes because they have inherited them, or have a genuine interest in collecting military weapons and paraphernalia. These weapons could be targeted by those involved in serious and organised crime who may see the opportunities of converting and using them in criminality.
“So if you do own any weapons like this, think long and hard about the potential consequences. In the wrong hands, these guns can be reactivated and used to cause fear and intimidation, or even worse could be used to seriously injure, or kill, someone. Every gun surrendered is one less that can be used by criminals to commit serious offences.”
Weapons and ammunition can be surrendered at Birkenhead police station.
';
