Over 200 weapons handed to police

GMP Assistant Chief Constable John O’Hare with some of the firearms and ammunition

Police in Greater Manchester received over 200 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition during the ‘Give Up The Gun’ firearms surrender.

From 4 April to 18 April police asked members of the public to surrender unlawfully held or unwanted guns and ammunition, to help prevent them getting into the wrong hands.

The surrender gave the public the chance to dispose of firearms or ammunition quickly and anonymously by simply taking it to a local police station and handing it in. During that period, those surrendering firearms did not face prosecution for the illegal possession. In Greater Manchester, 221 weapons were handed over, with thousands of rounds of ammunition yet to be counted.

GMP Assistant Chief Constable John O’Hare said:  “The 2016 firearm surrender was a remarkable success and I am delighted that we have managed to remove over 220 weapons from the streets of Greater Manchester.

The surrender may be over, but our commitment to tackle gun crime is not. There will be continued efforts from GMP, our colleagues across the North West and our partners as we work together to safeguard, educate and intervene at the earliest opportunity.

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “Guns bring devastation, causing serious injury, fatalities and misery to families and communities so every weapon and piece of ammunition taken off the street is to be welcomed. These weapons are now in safe hands and out of the hands of criminals.

“I want to thank those people of Greater Manchester who have come forward to surrender weapons and ammunition and play a vital role in making our communities safer.

“The success of the surrender sends out a clear message that guns have no place in our communities and while the surrender may be over, we will continue to work together with local people to achieve our ambition of safer, gun-free streets.”

Greater Manchester Police works closely with the firearms licensing department and license holders to support the hundreds of law abiding citizens who already own firearms safely and legally.

ACC O’Hare added: “This is about tackling gun crime. If you are a license holder or qualified collector of firearms, please conduct regular checks to ensure your weapons are secured and cannot be tampered with.”

Members of the public can always hand weapons to the police, whether license holders or otherwise. If a weapon is discovered during a house clearance or inherited or found, do not wait for a campaign like this to get it off the streets – trained staff will always be on hand to secure unwanted weapons. Just call your local police enquiry desk or 101 for assistance.