Guns warning to parents

The toy guns bear a striking resemblance to deadly assault rifles and people carrying imitation firearms risk being shot, police said.

The appeal follows an incident at the weekend in which armed officers were deployed after a youth was spotted in the street with what appeared to be a high-powered rifle.

Officers were called out to Amersham Crescent, in Peterlee, County Durham, on Saturday night shortly before 8.30pm, after a member of the public alerted them to a male carrying what was described as an AK47 assault rifle.

Almost 45 minutes later the weapon recovered from the teenager in nearby Dunn Road was found to be a ball-bearing gun that fires plastic ammunition.

Chief Superintendent Trevor Watson, north area commander, said: "It is impossible to distinguish a replica weapon from the real thing at a distance.

"When we receive a report that someone has been seen carrying a firearm in a public place our only option is to respond as if the weapon is real and deploy armed officers.

"This is based on an assessment of the risk such a person poses to other members of the public and to our officers."

"People need to be aware that if they carry an imitation firearm in a public place a tragedy could be around the corner.

"Our response will be as if they are carrying the genuine article and they are putting both themselves and others at risk. The incident at the weekend ended safely but the outcome could easily have been far more serious."

He added: "With Christmas just weeks away if any parents are considering buying their children ball-bearing guns or replica weapons of any type I would urge them to think again and choose a gift that can't lead their off-spring into such dangerous situations."

Chief Supt Watson appealed to anyone who already owned a replica firearm of any sort to hand it in to the police.

The 18-year-old youth involved in the incident on Saturday was given suitable advice regarding his conduct in front of his parents.