Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police are supporting a national firearms surrender that aims to make our communities safer.

The surrender will run for two weeks from Monday, November 13 until Sunday, November 26, and will give members of the public the opportunity to safely dispose of a firearm by simply taking it to a local police station and handing it in.

The aim of the initiative is to reduce the number of illegal or unlicensed firearms in circulation and to decrease the opportunities for firearms to be used in a criminal offence.

During the last surrender in 2014, more than 6,000 items were handed into police nationally. Within West Mercia, 323 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. All surrendered weapons will be destroyed or in exceptional circumstances, if the weapon has historical value, it may be donated to a museum.

Illegal possession of a firearm can mean five years behind bars and if you are found guilty of possession with intent to supply it can lead to a life sentence.

Chief Inspector Mark Colquhoun said: “Compared with other areas of the country we don’t have a significant gun problem, but we are keen to support this national campaign to help keep our communities safe. The whole aim is to remove any firearms that could potentially be used in a crime from public circulation.

During the surrender, firearms can be deposited at Shrewsbury Police station, Clive Road, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury SY2 5RW open Monday to Saturday, 8am-6.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.