MORE than 30 weapons were handed in at Kidderminster police station during a two-week firearms surrender campaign by West Mercia Police.

Officers have thanked members of the public for their support during the campaign, which led to more than 220 weapons being handed in to police stations across West Mercia policing areas.

The campaign, which started on November 13, and ended on November 26, gave anyone with a firearm the opportunity to surrender it at their local designated police station. A total of 228 firearms and 93 lots of ammunition were surrendered in total - including 32 firearms in Kidderminster.

All of the weapons have now been made safe and most of them will be melted down. Exceptionally rare weapons or those with high historical value may be donated to a museum.

Following the campaign, deputy chief constable, Amanda Blakeman, said: "We have had a great public response to the firearms surrender and I would like to thank everyone who played their part in the initiative.

"Although we don't have a significant gun crime problem within our policing areas, every weapon has the potential to fall into the wrong hands and thanks to this support, 228 firearms have now been taken out of circulation.

"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who handed in weapons or ammunition during this time. It is great to see that there are so many people as committed as we are to making our communities even safer and protecting people from harm."

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, added: "By reducing the number of weapons in our area, our communities are safer and feel safer.

"I am pleased that the public have actively supported the police by taking part in this surrender.

"Whilst we are fortunate that any kind of gun crime is rare in our communities, I am committed to ensuring West Mercia Police have the resources to continue to protect the public."

Anyone who has concerns regarding firearms in the community, should call West Mercia Police on the 101 non-emergency number or 999 in an emergency.