Firearms amnesty hailed a huge success

Detectives have hailed a month-long firearms amnesty as a major success with the recovery of over 70 guns and the arrest and charge of a Glodwick man.

With today being the final day, officers have thanked the public for their help and support in recovering the Turkish manufactured Top-Venting Blank-Firing (TVBF). 

Throughout February, police have been supporting a national amnesty and have seized 72  of the readily convertible blank-firers, 66 of which have been handed in by members of the public and retailers from around Greater Manchester. 

The remaining six were recovered as part of the daily policing activity, with three of these found to have been converted into lethal viable firearms.  

This highlights how readily convertible these weapons are and why the legislation has been changed.  

Earlier this month, as part of a pre-planned warrant at an address on Hardy Street in Oldham, officers arrested and charged a man his 20s with possession of a readily convertible firearm, a charge that is thought to be one of the first for this specific new offence. 

More information about that warrant can be found here: Converted firearm recovered and man arrested following county lines warrant | Greater Manchester Police 

Since April 2021, police have recovered 315 viable firearms - with at least 119 of them converted blank firers – and at least 72 of those being one of the four relevant brands that the amnesty aimed to take off the streets (Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow). 

During the same time period in Greater Manchester, police have seen at least 20 firearms discharges as a result of converted blank firearms. 

Each of those 20 discharges could have resulted in homicide incidents, three of those discharges lead to serious injuries. 

Back in 2023, a boy was riding his motorbike through Eccles in Salford when he was subjected to a targeted attack from another motorbike, who had tracked the route he had taken before eventually pulling alongside him and firing two shots. 

At the time, the 16-year-old boy sustained a single gunshot wound through his arm and into his chest.  

Following treatment for the injury in hospital - thankfully - he was discharged a couple of days later to recover at home. 

Four men were jailed for a combined 44-years in prison for this incident and the weapon used in the attack was confirmed to be a converted blank firearm. 

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, who leads the response to recovering firearms said: “I would like to thank the public for their continued support as we look to get these weapons off our streets for good and prevent them from ending up in the wrong hands. 

“While a lot of these may have been legitimately and lawfully purchased, their possession is now illegal. However, you won’t face criminal prosecution if you surrender them within this period. 

“We have completed a significant amount of work ahead of, and during this amnesty. This is a final call for anyone who owns any of these converted firearms to come forward and hand them over to our officers, should you fail to do that, you can expect to see us at your door in the near future.” 

For those who own a Turkish TVBF will be able to surrender these to the front desks of any Greater Manchester Police Station, more information can be found here: https://www.gmp.police.uk/police-forces/greater-manchester-police/areas/greater-manchester-force-content/c/campaigns/2025/firearms-amnesty/ 

Officers are urging those transporting any firearms to any of the amnesty locations wraps them in a bag or places them in a box, to avoid any undue alarm to members of the public and to ensure everyone’s safety. 

If you know of anyone who you believe has access to, owns, or is using a firearm of any type for criminal means, contact police via 101, their website and LiveChat service, or 999 if the threat is immediate. Alternatively, call anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.