We arrested a man after he was found in possession of a BB gun and officers recovered a shotgun in separate incidents yesterday (Tuesday 21 April).
At about 8.10pm officers on patrol on Lockerby Road in Kensington saw a man acting suspiciously and trying to evade police. He was stopped by the officers and searched, and found to have a BB gun in his backpack.
A 23-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
In an unrelated incident, a member of the public found a sawn-off shotgun wrapped in a bin liner in Stoney Lane, Rainhill at around 3.50pm.
Officers attended and recovered the weapon, which has been taken for forensic examination to assess if it is linked to any offenders or incidents.
inspector Laura Jameson said: “This BB gun would have appeared to be a real firearm to the untrained eye, and capable of causing a huge amount of fear if produced in public or used to threaten anyone. And we know from previous incidents that shotguns have been used to injure or even kill people on the streets of Merseyside.
“Both these weapons are now safely out of circulation, and cannot be used by any criminals to bring fear or serious harm.
“Our investigations are now underway and I would ask anyone with information about who stored the shotgun to come forward.
“I want to reassure the public that while travel restrictions remain in place, Merseyside Police is continuing to work tirelessly to pursue those involved in serious and organised crime.
“If while spending more time at home and in your local community you spot anything suspicious, please contact us and we will take all reports seriously. Those people who store and use firearms have no place in our communities and it is vital that people continue to come forward with information so we can put them before the courts and take their guns off them.”
Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously
