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Three youths arrested after imitation firearm incident in New Forest |
This page was last updated on
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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| Hampshire Constabulary |
Three 17-year-old youths were arrested yesterday (Thursday, July 19) after being spotted brandishing a firearm at a car park near Lyndhurst.
At 1.41pm, police were called by a member of the public who reported seeing a group of youths in a car parked off of the A35.
The youths were seen to leave the car and walk towards the woods holding what appeared to be a large rifle.
The youths were then seen to return to the car and drive off.
Armed Response Vehicle units from Totton Roads Policing Unit and officers from the Tactical Firearms Support Unit, based at Netley, were immediately deployed to the area, located and stopped the vehicle.
Upon searching the car, they found an imitation firearm in the boot, a BB-pellet firing air rifle.
The three 17-year-old males, two from Bournemouth and one from New Milton, were arrested and taken into custody at Lyndhurst Police Station, where they were later released having received a final warning.
Inspector Elliot Brown, who leads the Tactical Firearms Support Unit, said:
“BB guns and imitation firearms are not toys.
The response to this incident clearly demonstrates the risk that people – and in this case these young men – put themselves under.
“When a member of the public calls us to report seeing a firearm, we have a duty to respond to remove that potential danger from the street and protect the community.
“Police response to firearms incidents which turn out to have involved replica weapons costs the tax payers in the two counties hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
“One hour of armed police response to incidents involving BB guns and imitation firearms costs the equivalent to one hour of time from 27 neighbourhood ‘bobbies’.
“Our message is simple. These are not toys. Do not carry them around, stop your children from buying and taking them out in public, and reduce the risk to them and the community.”
Last week, the Tactical Firearms Support Unit launched the Fake Gun, Real Trouble campaign, aimed at educating young people and adults of the risks that imitation firearms bring, and reducing the number of incidents and the cost to the community. |
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