More than 500 weapons have been handed in across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire as part of a national gun surrender.

The firearms were handed in as part of a nationwide attempt as police forces up and down the country try to get weapons off the streets. The scheme ran between Monday, November 13 and Sunday, November 26.

The scheme works like an amnesty, with anyone handing the weapons not being prosecuted for having the firearm in public. It is different from an amnesty which grants immunity to people handing in weapon.

The surrender scheme means if a gun is found to have been used in a crime, the owner could still face prosecution.

Replica carbine assault rifles confiscated during the surrender
Replica carbine assault rifles confiscated during the surrender

More than 200 firearms weapons were handed in across Derbyshire as part of the two-week surrender, while 176 were handed over in Staffordshire, and 123 in Leicestershire.

Leicestershire Police say that 12 handguns, 25 shotguns and 26 air weapons were among those handed in during the fortnight.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Nixon from Leicestershire Police said: "Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who had the confidence to come forward and surrender items during this campaign.

"Every weapon has the potential to fall into the wrong hands, even those that are overlooked and forgotten in people's homes, and so it's reassuring to know that 123 weapons are now off our streets and cannot be used to harm or threaten our communities.

"Although the level of gun crime is low in Leicestershire we must never forget that firearms are extremely dangerous and can be deadly if they get into the wrong hands. This surrender has ensured that these weapons will now be deactivated or destroyed.

"Whilst this surrender has now ended, I would urge anyone who still holds an unwanted or illegally held firearm to contact us on 101 so that we can arrange for it to be collected and destroyed."

The Smith and Wesson pistol dating back to the Second World War
The Smith and Wesson pistol dating back to the Second World War

Superintendent Carl Ratcliffe from Staffordshire Police said: "We are fortunate enough to have very low levels of gun crime in Staffordshire, with just 44 firearms offences in the last 12 months.

"However we remain vigilant to the extreme risks of firearms and I offer my thanks on behalf of Staffordshire Police to all those that did hand over firearms.

"Although the surrender is over, if you didn't get around to handing yours in or you discover one in the future, please call 101 to arrange for us to collect it safely. In the meantime please keep it safe and hidden and handle it carefully if you must move it."

Of 176 firearms surrendered in Derbyshire, there were 76 shotguns, 33 rifles and 27 handguns.

Nationally, more than 40,000 firearms have been handed over during the surrender, according to Home Office figures.