Shropshire Star

Gun amnesty haul revealed by West Mercia Police

[gallery] More than 400 weapons have been handed in to police in two weeks – including 119 in Telford and Shrewsbury – as part of a firearms "amnesty".

Published

The campaign in the West Mercia and Warwickshire Police force areas gave anyone with a gun a fortnight's grace from the start of the month to hand it in without repercussions.

Nearly 300 people handed in a total of 436 weapons, with 71 handed in at Shrewsbury Police Station and 48 at Malinsgate in Telford.

Superintendent Charles Hill, who led the campaign, said all of the weapons had now been made safe and most would be taken away to be cut up and melted down.

Rare weapons or those with historical value could be donated to museums, he added.

The officer said: "We have been overwhelmed by the public response to this campaign and we'd like to thank every person who has taken this opportunity to surrender a firearm for us to dispose of safely.

"It is great to see that there are so many people as committed as we are to making our region even safer and protecting people from harm.

"We're fortunate not to have a major gun crime problem in the region."

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