POLICE in North Yorkshire are asking residents to hand in any guns and knives they shouldn’t have as part of national activity this month to tackle serious crime.

People up and down the country are being urged to hand in unwanted guns with a two week surrender of firearms and ammunition which started on Thursday (May 12).

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Many firearms are held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or are overlooked and forgotten in people’s homes.

Some are held legally and are no longer required.

But others are acquired and distributed by criminal networks to harm, threaten, and intimidate their local communities.

The surrender gives people the chance to dispose of firearms or ammunition by simply taking them to a local police station and handing them over.

The surrender will run until May 29.

During that period, those surrendering firearms can remain anonymous and will not face prosecution for the illegal possession at the point of surrender.

During the surrender North Yorkshire Police want people to hand in: illegally-held guns and ammunition, imitation firearms and air guns other unwanted guns and ammunition including air guns and imitations Tasers, stun guns, CS gas, etc.

Until May 29, weapons can be handed in to front counter staff at the following police stations: Northallerton, Richmiond, York, Scarborough, Malton, Harrogate, Skipton and Selby.

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In addition to the firearms surrender, Operation Sceptre will run from May 16 to May 22.

This is a coordinated week of activity where police forces across the country help keep knives off the streets and deter people from carrying them, and through information and intelligence, proactively target knife related offences.

Assistant Chief Constable Elliot Foskett, said: “I want people to take advantage of this campaign and know they are disposing of a potentially dangerous item in the safest way possible, without getting into any trouble.

"It’s a chance to do the right thing and a chance to potentially save a life”.

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