Dorset Police releases results of 2019 firearms and ammunition surrender.
82 items were handed in to Dorset Police during the firearms and ammunition surrender which ran from 20 July – 4 August this year.
The national campaign, instigated by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS), was supported by other forces around the country, including Devon & Cornwall Police.
Items were voluntarily surrendered at police stations in Bournemouth, Weymouth and Poole.
Michelle Mounsey, Head of the Alliance Firearms and Explosives Licensing department for Dorset Police and Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “As a result of this firearms surrender, all of these items are now permanently out of potential circulation. While not every firearm is owned with the intent of criminal activity, every firearm can become a weapon in the wrong hands, removing the guns from circulation reduces the risk of danger to public safety.
“The campaign was an opportunity for anyone to hand in illegal, unregistered or unwanted firearms without risk of arrest at the point of surrender and while the campaign is now over, I would encourage anyone in possession of a firearm or ammunition that they no longer want to contact us for safe disposal.”
Information about firearms licensing in Dorset can be found here.
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “Dorset does not have a serious problem with gun crime and remains one of the safest places in the country.
“However, I’m glad to see that these items have now been brought into the police so they can be safely destroyed, rather than running the risk of them ending up in the wrong hands.”
The breakdown of the types of firearms handed in during the 2019 surrender is as follows:
AIR WEAPONS
Rifles: 16
Pistols: 14
OTHER WEAPONS
Shotguns: 11
Rifles: 1
Handguns: 2
Ammunition: 30 lots
Components: 6
Pyrotechnics: 2
Blank firing weapons: 2
CS/”Pepper” spray: 2
