A NATIONAL firearms surrender giving people the opportunity to safely dispose of a firearm at their local police station is being backed by West Mercia Police.
The surrender began this weekend and runs until Sunday, August 4.
The aim is to reduce the number of illegal or unlicensed firearms in circulation and in turn, to decrease the opportunities for firearms to be used in a criminal offence.
During the last surrender in 2017, more than 9,000 items were handed into police nationally.
These included hand guns, rifles, shotguns, antique (obsolete calibre) guns and imitation firearms, as well as ammunition.
Across West Mercia, 228 weapons were handed into local stations – the vast majority of these were not being used for criminal use.
People surrendering firearms will not be required to leave any information, but if police suspect a weapon may have been involved in a crime, they will examine it for evidence.
During the surrender, firearms can be left at Redditch police station, open Monday to Saturday 8am to 6.30pm, Sunday and Bank Holidays 10am to 4pm).
To report any concerns about the possession of firearms, call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
