Police are looking to curb the circulation of illegal convertible firearms.

In February, Cheshire Police will be joining forces across the country in a four-week amnesty campaign designed to remove BRUNI-manufactured Side/Top-Venting Blank-Firing (TVBF) firearms from our streets

From Monday, February 2, until Friday, February 27, residents will be able to safely dispose of TVBFs by taking them to one of the five police helpdesks, the closest being located at Macclesfield Police Station.

Detective Sergeant Jordan Trentini said: "Gun crime in Cheshire is, thankfully, very rare.

"With that in mind, we are not complacent about gun crime, which is why we are conducting the BRUNI Top-Venting Firearms Amnesty after tests have shown they can be readily converted into firearms, therefore making them illegal to possess.

"Last February in Cheshire we saw six TBVFs handed in to police under the Operation Pivot amnesty, which has gone a considerable way in keeping our streets safer by preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

"This year, we want as many side/top-venting blank firers as possible to be handed in as possible and I encourage anyone in possession of one to visit their local police station to hand them in.

"I would also like to reiterate that anyone who does choose to hand in a TVBF during the amnesty period will not face prosecution.

"You can also choose to do this anonymously, so there is no excuse for not disposing of these kinds of firearms.

"On a local level, your neighbourhood officers will be continually working with our partner agencies and organisations across the county in providing education surrounding the dangers, rules and regulations of firearms to ensure that gun crime remains low and does not become a prevalent problem for the people of Cheshire in the future."

Poster for the February firearms amnesty (Credit: Cheshire Police)

In their original state, TVBFs have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges.

However, recent testing conducted by the National Crime Agency has found that many criminals have been painting the typically bright-coloured weapons black to look similar to lethal firearms.

As well as this, it has been discovered that these weapons can be easily converted using household tools to dispense lethal cartridges.

The weapons are illegal to own under the Firearms Act 1968 as they can be readily converted using common household tools and without specialist skill on the part of the person carrying out the conversion. Recent testing completed by the NCA has demonstrated this.

Anyone found in possession of the following BRUNI models after the deadline of February 28 could be the subject of prosecution and could face 10 years imprisonment:

• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92 blank-firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police blank-firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 96 blank-firing self-loading pistol
• 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 'GAP' blank-firing self-loading pistol
• .380R (9mmK) PAK Bruni BBM ME Ranger single-action blank-firing revolver