A number of firearms have been surrendered on the Isle of Wight as part of Hampshire Constabulary’s Firearms and Ammunition Surrender launched on 13th November.
Included in the 34 items from the Isle of Wight was a gun made to look like a walking stick – pictured above being held Sgt Jim Heath based at Havant.
Behind Sgt Heath are some of the items surrendered from around the Hampshire and Thames Valley area.
500+ items surrendered
A whopping 500+ firearms were handed in as part of the two-week surrender across Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police areas.
During the fortnight, in Hampshire 351 firearms were recovered and 95 quantities of ammunition.
Two revolvers from Battle of the Somme
Included in the surrendered items were a number of working illegally held self-loading pistols and working revolvers from World War One, including two used in the Battle of the Somme.
Also handed in were a number of illegally held shotguns, including a sawn-off shotgun, as well as a revolver made in 1893, handguns, rifles and numerous air rifles and air pistols.
Other surrendered items include deactivated and imitation firearms and BB guns.
Not an amnesty
The Surrender was run as part of the national campaign was by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS).
During the two-week campaign, those surrendering firearms did not face prosecution for the illegal possession upon surrender and can remain anonymous.
However, this was not an amnesty and if further examination of a surrendered firearm reveals a link to a crime, this will be investigated.
Baillie: “Our neighbourhoods are much safer”
Chief Inspector Emma Baillie, Head of Armed Response for Hampshire and Thames Valley, said:
“We would like to thank everyone who handed in any firearms or ammunition as part of this surrender.
“This means that there are 351 fewer firearms and imitation firearms on our streets which could have easily fallen into the hands of criminals.
“As a result our neighbourhoods are much safer, both for our residents and for our officers who work every day and night to protect them.
“We are very pleased that so many people took the opportunity to take part in this initiative and the number of firearms recovered certainly proves how valuable such a surrender is.
“Gun crime is low in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and has not seen a rise others force areas have, however we cannot be complacent and we will continue to do all we can to make our communities safer.”
Get in touch
Now that the surrender is finished, if you find a firearm or are uncertain about the lawful possession of a firearm, please call us on 101 or 99 in an emergency.
Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
