100 firearms seized by police in a year
More than 100 firearms were seized by West Midlands Police in one year, figures show.
Between April 2020 and March this year, officers recovered a total of 126 viable firearms, including sawn-off shotguns, handguns and homemade “slam guns”.
They also took eight sub-machine pistols out of criminal hands as part of investigations into organised crime.
Last October officers found a stash of weapons, including a sub-machine pistol, in a car in Washwood Heath.
Two brothers have been charged with conspiring to possess firearms and are in prison awaiting trial, while they and others have also been charged with drugs supply.
The latest statistics come as West Midlands Police has expanded and restructured the gangs unit to better target crime groups linked to firearms in Birmingham.
Extra officers have been brought in to create two units, in central and east Birmingham, to tackle organised crime groups and urban street gangs.
Inspector Sharon Revitt from the East Birmingham Gangs and Organised Crime Unit, said: “Every single one of these firearms recoveries is potentially a life saved: they are all viable, lethal weapons taken out of criminal hands.
“Most of the weapons have been found following proactive operations or pre-planned raids.
“There will be no let-up in our focus on gangs and people linked to firearms. And I’d urge communities across the West Midlands to work with us and provide information on suspicious activity or people suspected to have access to weapons.”
The firearms recoveries include a cache of weapons seized from a parked car in Solihull on April 9 last year when seven guns, including five machine pistols and two handguns, were seized for ballistic examination and three men arrested.
