Adults at Risk of Criminal Exploitation
Merseyside Police are concerned that vulnerable adults across Merseyside being used to store / handle / keep firearms, or other illegal items, on behalf of criminals. Some of these adults have been subsequently prosecuted for offences relating to the possession of firearms. This firearms surrender operation gives the Police an opportunity to identify and support those adults that may be susceptible to grooming by criminal gangs and consequently being exploited to commit criminal offences. Once identified those adults at risk of exploitation can be supported to stay out of the criminal justice system.
Merseyside Police: Why are we running a Firearms Surrender?
- There has been a National rise in recorded firearms offences since 2017.
- This surrender is to support the Governments Serious Violence Reduction Strategy and will complement Operation SCEPTRE, which is the knife reduction operation commencing in September within the Metropolitan Police.
- Police forces across England & Wales to partake in this surrender operation to remove illegal firearms from the availability of criminals, thereby reducing the stock of firearms within the criminal supply chain.
- This surrender is to enable persons who hold firearms and ammunition, which they do not possess a valid certificate to surrender these to the Police.
In the 2017 surrender, Merseyside Police took possession of 121 firearms / ammunition.
Nationally, 9500 items were handed in during the two week surrender.