More than 700 firearms have been recovered after a five-year project to prevent guns entering the UK. The operation was led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) who worked alongside the Guardia Civil in Spain, UK policing and border force and international gun sellers.
So far, 703 firearms have been recovered in the UK and the NCA have made 74 arrests, 50 convictions and searched 133 premises. Out of those 703 cases, 20 of them involved actual or intended manufacture or conversion of weapons or ammunition.
In one case, a man was jailed for 11 years after officers found 26 firearms at his home - some were even stored in his three-year-old's bedroom. Raymond Nugent, 73, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January this year after being found guilty of 44 firearms offences.
The self-confessed ‘gun nut’ had more than 30 firearms in his home in Hornchurch, east London. There were also 11 cases of firearms being sent to people with mental health issues and seven cases involving people who presented a potential terrorism threat.
NCA deputy director Charles Yates said that 'significant levels of harm' have been prevented because of the 'ground-breaking' work. He said: "Very significant levels of harm have undoubtedly been prevented with this ground-breaking work.
"Each of these 700 firearms had the potential to fall into the wrong hands and be used by criminals to further their offending or, at worst, take a life. We have used our reach, influence and relationships overseas, where many serious and organised crime threats come from, to stem the flow of these popular, easily convertible guns and then we and policing have pursued the people who bought them online.
“Suppressing their availability is a national priority for the NCA and UK law enforcement in protecting the public from the threat of firearms.”
The NCA worked closely with border force to identify and target packages containing illegal firearms entering the UK predominantly via fast-parcel or post. They then worked together to enhance targeting techniques to more effectively secure the UK border from illegal firearms.
Despite being illegal to import and possess in the UK, until recently there were no restrictions preventing foreign firearms retailers selling to UK customers. The Spanish government has enacted new legislation preventing the sale of these weapons to non-Spanish customers.
Customers now need to produce a Spanish identity, a police approval documentation prior to purchase, a verified electronic signature and an authorisation letter from police. Roy Godding, head of the NCA’s National Firearms Targeting Centre (NFTC) said that although gun crime in the UK is 'relatively low', there is still a demand for firearms.
He said: “The NFTC’s analysis over the five-year period showed a worrying trend of serious and organised criminals wanting this weapon. Our intelligence led to a number of significant high risk individuals who had perfected the conversion of the weapons and sold them to offenders.
“Gun crime in the UK continues to be relatively low compared to mainland Europe and is among the lowest in the world. But the criminal demand for firearms continues.
"And the supply and use of illegal firearms have a devastating impact on public safety and undermine the public’s perception of crime and security.”
