Knives and gun amnesty sees huge hauls amassed in Essex and West Midlands

Hundreds of guns and more than a thousand knives have been handed in to authorities in two recent weapons amnesties – in a stark reminder of the reality of ‘Wild West’ Britain. 

One deadly arsenal was handed in to a single police force in just a three-week period as part of their latest firearms surrender.

The haul of more than 100 guns include a .44 Magnum revolver, 20 shotguns, a Winchester Repeater rifle as well a Second World War flare gun.

They were handed in to West Midlands Police last month as the region saw a spike in shootings and will now be forensically tested before being destroyed.

Meanwhile, around 1,500 blades were amassed by anti-knives charity Only Cowards Carry from three collection points across Essex.

It comes as the Government plans to ban ‘Zombie’ blades in a fresh crackdown launched in the wake of Britain’s bloody knife crime epidemic.

This terrifying haul of around 1,500 knives was deposited in three amnesty bins across Essex

Hundreds of guns and thousands of knives have been handed in to authorities in two recent weapons amnesties - in a stark reminder of the reality of 'Wild West' Britain. (The ones pictured were handed in recently in the West Midlands)

Hundreds of guns and thousands of knives have been handed in to authorities in two recent weapons amnesties – in a stark reminder of the reality of ‘Wild West’ Britain. (The ones pictured were handed in recently in the West Midlands)

One deadly arsenal was handed in to a single police force - West Midlands Police - in just a three-week period as part of their latest firearms surrender

One deadly arsenal was handed in to a single police force – West Midlands Police – in just a three-week period as part of their latest firearms surrender

The haul of more than 100 guns include a .44 Magnum revolver, 20 shotguns, a Winchester Repeater rifle as well a Second World War flare gun

The haul of more than 100 guns include a .44 Magnum revolver, 20 shotguns, a Winchester Repeater rifle as well a Second World War flare gun

They were handed in to West Midlands Police last month as the region saw a spike in shootings and will now be forensically tested before being destroyed

They were handed in to West Midlands Police last month as the region saw a spike in shootings and will now be forensically tested before being destroyed

The latest surrender by the force came at a time when the West Midlands saw a surge in the number of violent crimes

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson added: 'Every weapon handed in is potentially a life saved'

The latest surrender by the force came at a time when the West Midlands saw a surge in the number of violent crimes. West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson added: ‘Every weapon handed in is potentially a life saved’

'We are continuing our crackdown on violent crime using Section 60 powers, which allow us to stop and search anyone we think may be involved in criminality and violence,' said Detective Inspector Rod Rose, from the force's Prevent team

‘We are continuing our crackdown on violent crime using Section 60 powers, which allow us to stop and search anyone we think may be involved in criminality and violence,’ said Detective Inspector Rod Rose, from the force’s Prevent team

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics has shown that gun violence has rocketed in Britain by 20 per cent, with 6,694 offences in the 12 months to January

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics has shown that gun violence has rocketed in Britain by 20 per cent, with 6,694 offences in the 12 months to January

Among the hoard of 116 weapons in the West Midlands were six pistols – including a war-time Enfield.45, seven revolvers and 16 batches of ammunition. 

Detective Inspector Rod Rose, from the force’s Prevent team, said: ‘Coming just six months after our last firearms surrender which saw 245 weapons handed in, this is a significant result and shows that there are still firearms out there which could be lethal in the wrong hands.

‘We are continuing our crackdown on violent crime using Section 60 powers, which allow us to stop and search anyone we think may be involved in criminality and violence.

WHERE KNIFE CRIMES HAVE INCREASED THE MOST 

Norfolk – 274 per cent 

Warwickshire – 180 per cent 

North Wales – 134 per cent 

Hertfordshire – 150 per cent 

Hampshire – 102 per cent 

Bedfordshire – 86 per cent

Essex – 86 per cent 

Cambridgeshire – 83 per cent  

Thames Valley – 50 per cent   

‘And we are continuing our work with young people who may be on the cusp of becoming involved in gang culture through our “Precious Lives” project, where thousands of schoolchildren have seen a hard-hitting presentation on the dangers of carrying weapons.’

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson added: ‘Every weapon handed in is potentially a life saved.

‘The region is a safer place with these weapons no longer on the streets, as there is always the potential they could fall into the wrong hands.

‘Guns ruin lives and have a devastating impact on the communities of the West Midlands.

‘For everybody who decided to hand in their weapon, may I say a big thank you – you have done the right thing.’

The latest surrender by the force came at a time when the West Midlands saw a surge in the number of violent crimes.

Taimoor Zaheer, 22, was gunned down in his car in Handsworth, Birmingham on May 22.

Anib Khan, 23, was arrested by Kent Police as he tried to board a ferry in Dover the next day and appeared before magistrates last month.

The latest surrender by the force came at a time when the West Midlands saw a surge in the number of violent crimes. Taimoor Zaheer (pictured), 22, was gunned down in his car in Handsworth, Birmingham on May 22

The latest surrender by the force came at a time when the West Midlands saw a surge in the number of violent crimes. Taimoor Zaheer (pictured), 22, was gunned down in his car in Handsworth, Birmingham on May 22

The murder was followed by two shooting incidents and a fatal stabbing in the city within a 24-hour period the next weekend.

Keelan Wilson, 15, was also killed that month after being knifed following a violent disorder between a group of youths in Wolverhampton.

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics has shown that gun violence has rocketed in Britain by 20 per cent, with 6,694 offences in the 12 months to January. 

1,500 knives collected in ‘relatively safe’ Essex  

This massive haul of around 1,500 blades was amassed by anti-knives charity Only Cowards Carry from three collection points across Essex.

The charity work with the Police Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, and their collections are carried out in collaboration with Essex Police.

The woman who stood among the massive haul is Jo Robinson, whose brother James Attfield died four years ago in a ‘frenzied’ stabbing.

One of the other woman involved in the collection is Caroline Shearer, who lost her 17-year-old son Jay Whiston when he was knifed to death at a private party in 2012. 

This haul of around 1,500 blades was amassed by anti-knives charity Only Cowards Carry from three collection points across Essex. The woman pictured is Jo Robinson, whose brother James Attfield died four years ago in a 'frenzied' stabbing

This haul of around 1,500 blades was amassed by anti-knives charity Only Cowards Carry from three collection points across Essex. The woman pictured is Jo Robinson, whose brother James Attfield died four years ago in a ‘frenzied’ stabbing

The charity work with the Police Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, and their collections are carried out in collaboration with Essex Police. The charity has trained 20-30,000 school children about the dangers of carrying knives since its creation

The charity work with the Police Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, and their collections are carried out in collaboration with Essex Police. The charity has trained 20-30,000 school children about the dangers of carrying knives since its creation

Ms Shearer set up the charity in the aftermath of her son’s death to help get knives off the street, and goes into schools to teach children about the dangers of carrying knives.

She said: ‘I get quite agitated when people try to defend knives. There is no reason to carry a gun – it’s more dangerous to carry one than not.’

The charity has trained 20-30,000 school children about the dangers of carrying knives since its creation.

Since Ms Shearer posted the photo on Facebook, it has received more than 1,150 shares.

But she says that her popularity on social media is not the reason why she devotes herself to getting knives off the street.

She said: ‘I just do it because it needs doing.’

For safety reasons, people depositing weapons in bins are advised to wrap the weapon or blade in newspaper, before placing it in a secure cardboard box and then transporting it to either site.

Earlier this year, an Essex Police spokesman said the county was still a ‘relatively safe county’ with a comparatively low crime rate.

‘Drug and gang-related crime is a growing problem in some areas of the county and we know the impact on our communities this has,’ the force spokesman added.

If someone is unsure about whether to bring in a knife they can contact Essex Police on 101 for advice.

Zombie blades to be banned in wake of bloody knife crimes

Zombie blades  (pictured) will be banned in Britain under a fresh Government crackdown launched in the wake of Britain's bloody knife crime epidemic

Zombie blades  (pictured) will be banned in Britain under a fresh Government crackdown launched in the wake of Britain’s bloody knife crime epidemic

Zombie blades will be banned in Britain under a fresh Government crackdown launched in the wake of Britain’s bloody knife crime epidemic.

All knives will have to be collected from a shop rather than delivered to a home address and a person will have to show ID proving they are at least 18 to buy them.

The crackdown, announced by new Home Secretary Sajid Javid, comes after months of bloody carnage on Britain’s streets.

Some 74 people have been killed in London so far this year, and there are fears this deathly toll will rise more sharply in the summer.

In the most recent killing, a man, 35, was stabbed to death in Turnpike Lane just over a week ago.

Ministers have blamed the surge in murders on gangs vying for control of the lucrative drugs market, and have promised to get a grip on the epidemic.

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