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The advice
is being offered by police after nine BB guns were
seized from youths in the Hook area between May 23 and
June 4.
Failing
to behave responsibly could result in the owner or user
having the weapon seized or facing prosecution.
PC Stacy Beale said: “It is not
an offence to possess a regular BB gun but it is an
offence to point them and fire them at people.
When they are pointed at people, an offence of
possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause
fear of violence is committed.
“We
get calls from members of the public about such
incidents – some people are actually scared as they
feel they have witnessed something shocking, while
others realise it is a prank. Either way, it
wastes a lot of police time, could require armed
response vehicles becoming involved and causes distress
to the victim.
“The
community should be reassured that we are taking their
complaints seriously and any reports will be dealt with
robustly. Anyone committing this sort of crime
could risk arrest and a police record or conviction".
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