Thames Valley Police is joining police forces across the country to get illegal firearms off the streets.

The national campaign will give people a chance to hand in any firearms or ammunition in a bid to reduce the number of illegally held firearms within communities.

Old family heirlooms, former military weapons or unwanted firearms which were previously legally owned can all be landed in to local police stations to be disposed of safely.

Police stations will also accept replica firearms, air weapons BB guns, imitation firearms, antique guns, component parts and other ballistic items.

During the fortnight of the Firearms and Ammunition Surrender campaign, licence holders are also being encouraged to consider surrendering weapons they no longer use.

But historic ordnance should not be moved or handed in to any stations. If you think you have any items like this, please call police on 101 for advice.

The surrender, which runs from November 13 until November 26, is part of national initiative run by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS).

Chief Inspector Emma Baillie, head of armed response for the joint operations unit for Hampshire and Thames Valley, said: “This is your chance to safely dispose of any guns or ammunition you no longer want but don't know what to do with.

“Surrender them now and we can dispose of them safely, making sure that they do not fall into the hands of criminals.

“We know that the consequences of firearms or replica firearms falling into the wrong hands can be fatal and can cause real fear within our communities.

“They also have the potential of being used against our own officers who could find themselves confronted with someone wielding a weapon in public.”

She added: “While crimes involving firearms in the Thames Valley region are rare, we know that every firearm poses a potential threat if they are not licensed and stored safely.

“That is why we are offering this opportunity to safely hand in your unwanted firearms.

“The fight against gun crime is stronger than ever. We take all reports of incidents involving firearms extremely seriously and robust action will be taken against anyone who commits a firearms related offence.”

During the two-week campaign, those surrendering firearms will not face prosecution for the illegal possession upon surrender, and can remain anonymous.

However police said this is not an amnesty and if further examination of a surrendered firearm reveals a link to a crime, it will be investigated.

They are asking anyone who is unsure about an item they have to call police on 101 to get advice on what they should do.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

All our police stations which have a front desk open to the public that are taking part in the surrender are listed in alphabetical order below:

  • Abingdon 0800 – 2200 everyday
  • Amersham 1000 – 1800 Mon-Fri
  • Aylesbury 0800 – 2200 everyday
  • Banbury 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Bicester 1000 – 1800 Mon-Fri
  • Bracknell 1000 – 1800 Mon-Fri
  • High Wycombe 0800 – 2200 every day
  • HQ South, Kidlington 0700 – 1800 Mon-Fri
  • Loddon Valley 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Maidenhead 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Milton Keynes 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Newbury 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Oxford 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Reading 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Slough 0800 – 2200 every day
  • Witney 1000 – 1800 Mon-Fri