Cleveland Police and the NCA launch a month-long amnesty to remove illegal Turkish firearms from Teesside streets, allowing safe surrender without prosecution.
During February, they want people to hand in Turkish Top-Venting Blank-Firing firearms. This initiative aims to keep these weapons off the streets and out of criminal hands.
From February 3 to February 28, you can surrender these firearms without facing prosecution. These weapons are designed to fire only blanks but can be easily modified to shoot real bullets.
Under the Firearms Act 1968, owning these weapons is illegal. The specific brands targeted include Retay, Ekol, Ceonic, and Blow.
Since 2021, over 800 converted blank firers have been recovered in the UK. Some of these have even been linked to homicides.
You can drop off firearms at four Cleveland Police helpdesks. They’re open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm. Call 101 before visiting for guidance on how to package the weapon.
Here are the locations:
– Hartlepool Police Station, Avenue Road, Hartlepool TS24 8AJ
– Middlesbrough Police Station, Bridge Street West, Middlesbrough, TS2 1AB
– Redcar and Cleveland Police Station, Troisdorf Way, Redcar, TS10 5AP
– Stockton Police Station, Thistle Green, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1TZ
Detective Chief Inspector David Glass is leading this operation. He encourages anyone with these firearms to come forward.
He emphasizes that the amnesty allows for safe disposal without prosecution. You can even do this anonymously.
The goal is to protect the community by removing these dangerous items. Take this chance to help keep everyone safe.
