Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe and Superintendent Wayne Ashley from licensing services with some of the 2400 weapons handed to police during the firearms and weapons amnesty.By Kelly Yates
HANDGUNS, machetes, knives and swords have been handed to police during a firearms and weapons amnesty.
More than 2400 weapons are now in police hands in Victoria following the month-long amnesty.
One handgun, 11 long arms, four edged weapons and four other weapons were handed to Narre Warren police, while four long arms were surrendered to Endeavour Hills police.
Cranbourne police station recorded the 11th-highest number of surrendered weapons in the state with 37, including one handgun, 19 long arms and 10 edged weapons
The amnesty, announced on 1 October, gave people the opportunity to hand in unwanted or illegal items without penalty.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said police were extremely pleased with the results and thanked the community for helping reduce the amount of weapons in circulation before they ended up being used for crime.
Although the official amnesty has finished, Mr Walshe said people could still hand unlawful items to police without fear of prosecution.
“A majority of the items handed in during the amnesty belonged to people who decided they did not wish to have firearms or weapons in their house any more but were previously unsure about how to hand them in as they feared prosecution,” he said.
“By coming forward it shows people are not only thinking about their safety but also the safety of the broader community.”
