Haul of knives and guns handed into Halifax police

Nearly 300 guns, knives and swords were handed in at police stations across West Yorkshire as part of the Hand in Your Weapons campaign

They included 110 guns - up from 80 last year - as well as 158 knives and other bladed weapons and 29 lots of ammunition, equating to around 300 rounds.

Last year’s resulted in 230 firearms and bladed items being handed in and destroyed.

In Calderdale seven guns and 16 weapons were handed into Halifax police station - the lowest numer of weapons to be handed in across Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Police Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams said: “We are delighted with the response. Two weeks ago these items were in circulation and had the potential to fall into the wrong hands and harm our communities – now they are in our possession and will never be used for criminality.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “This is very positive and demonstrates just how valuable giving people the opportunity to hand in weapons is. These weapons will now be disposed of safely, taking away any chance of them ever being used to commit a crime or ruin anyone’s life in the future.

“I would like to reiterate my appreciation and thanks to Christopher Wright for supporting this campaign which definitely contributed to its success.”

West Yorkshire Police is keen to hear from anyone with information about the illegal possession of firearms including ammunition and are seeking help to identify “safe” houses where they may be held.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111, or going to www.crimestoppers-uk.org.