Over 160 weapons handed in to Cumbria Police during surrenders

Cumbria Constabulary have received over 160 weapons from the public during two surrenders of firearms and knives that were held in May.

A firearms surrender was running between the 12th and 29th May and a week-long knife surrender from 16th till the 22nd May.

The firearms surrender was part of a national firearms initiative coordinated by the National Ballistic Intelligence Service (NABIS) who offer forensic, tactical and strategic intelligence to tackle all aspects of firearms related crime.

Cumbria Police joined other constabularies across England encouraging the public to hand in knives, unlicensed and unwanted firearms to ensure that they do not fall into the hands of criminals.

During the surrender those handing over weapons would not face prosecution for the illegal possession at the point of surrender.

Weapons handed in during the surrender period are:

• 80 Knives

• 86 firearms (Including ammunition, flares and replicas)

Chief Inspector Gill Cherry said “This has been a successful operation with many dangerous weapons handed in from members of the public now out of the reach of criminals.

“Many of these weapons were simply sitting in houses unused, some were antiques or trophies of war that have been passed down through generations. The danger of these weapons is that they could fall into the hands of a criminal which could cause serious or fatal injury.

“I’d like to thank those who have handed in weapons in during the surrender as you have contributed to making Cumbria a safer place.

“If you’re worried about the existence of a firearm or any other weapon or need advice, please report online, or contact an officer on 101 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers – 0800 555 111.”

Peter McCall, Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Weapon surrender schemes such as these are not new but they are essential in removing weapons off our streets and out of the hands of criminals.

“I am grateful to the public who have responded positively to this campaign; the surrender of 166 weapons really does show that members of the public understand that there is no need to have any form of weapon lying around the house and certainly not carrying them on our streets.

“I want to thank everyone that handed over these weapons, you are helping to make Cumbria a safer place to live.”

A proportion of the firearms and knives will be destroyed but some firearms may be retained by NABIS or museums if they are of significant interest or unusual. Any guns which can be proved to be linked to a crime will be kept as evidence and retained for any future court case proceedings.

Hear all the latest news from across Cumbria on the hour, every hour, on 96.4FM, 102.2FM, 102.5FM, 103.4FM, DAB, at cfmradio.co.uk, and on the CFM app.