1. Security protective marking

1.1 Not protectively marked.

1.2 This policy has a supporting standard operating procedure (SOP), which remains restricted under exemptions covered by the Freedom of Information Act.

2. Safety 

2.1.  The safety of the public and all staff is paramount. Care must be taken when handling firearms. For a full explanation of weapon safety see Policy N03.

3. Surrendered firearms 

3.1. If circumstances allow at this time, the member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will notify the Area Intelligence Unit that a firearm is being handed in.

3.1.1.  The Area Intelligence Co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring such information is responded to appropriately for the circumstances and that relevant enquiries are made about the firearm to identify any criminal use of it.

3.2.  The member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will complete an ‘Exhibit Label’ for each firearm and request the person surrendering the firearm(s) to sign each ‘Exhibit Label’ and attach it (them) to the appropriate firearm.

3.3.  The member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will make an immediate entry(ies) in the ‘Special Property Register’ (see Policy B07)

3.4.  The member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will ensure that a Storm record is created immediately and tagged for the Area Intelligence Unit. This record will include:

• The identity of the person surrendering the firearm (if given);
• The date of birth of the person surrendering the firearm (if given);
• The address of the person surrendering the firearm (if given);
• The account of how the person surrendering the firearm came into possession of it;
• The Special Property Register number for the firearm;
• Location where the firearm is being stored.

There is no legal requirement upon the person surrendering the firearm(s) to divulge to police their identity and any other personal details, nor how they came to be in possession of the firearm(s) (Article 8 European Convention on Human Rights - Respect for Private and Family Life). However, every effort should be made to obtain this information whenever possible.

4. Discovered firearms 

 
4.1. All unidentified firearms discovered by police will have enquiries made, to establish the history of the firearm, by:

• The officer who is the Officer In The Case (OIC) for the original investigation leading to the discovery of the firearm(s); or
• If appropriate an officer nominated to assume such responsibility by the OIC or another supervisor.

4.2.  The designated officer will conduct enquiries regarding the firearm. They will apply the submission scoring formula to each firearm recovered to evaluate its merit for forensic evaluation and for submission onto the National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database (NFFID). See policy N05 Forensic Submission.

4.3.  All such firearm discoveries will be notified to the relevant Area Intelligence Co-ordinator, as soon as reasonably practicable, by the OIC for the original investigation leading to the discovery of the firearm(s).

4.4.  The member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will complete an ‘Exhibit Label’ for each firearm and attach it to the firearm.

4.5.  The member of staff taking possession of the firearm(s) will make an immediate entry(ies) in the ‘Special Property Register’ (see Policy B07)

5. Disposal 

5.1.  The OIC in relation to the firearm enquiries (see Sections 3.2.1 and 4.2 above) will inform the Property Officer when all enquiries are complete.

5.2.  No firearm will be disposed of until authorisation is given by the OIC.

5.3.  The Property Officer will dispose of the firearm in compliance with Policy B07).

6. Retention and disposal of records

6.1. Documents mentioned in the above policy will be retained for the period specified in the retention & disposal of force documents policy (Ref No B18) and the supporting disposal schedule.

7. Equality impact assessment

7.1. This policy has been assessed with regard to its relevance to race and diversity equality. As a result of this assessment the policy has been graded as having a low potential impact.