Officers are continuing to work tirelessly to tackle firearms in the region as part of Operation Yawbridge and as the end of the year approaches the tally of viable firearms taken off the streets has reached an incredible 135.

As part of a raid in Wolverhampton on December 27th, where firearms were recovered from a property, 23-year-old Reece Gordon of Whitburn Road, Manchester has been charged with blackmail, possession of a sawn-off shotgun and false imprisonment.

He is due to appear before Walsall Magistrates Court on 29 December. Chief Inspector Phil Cape, who leads Operation Yawbridge, said:

“The force is committed to cracking down on the use of firearms and tackling organised crime.One of the guns taken off  the streets this year

And the success of our operation has seen a 21 per cent reduction in the number of reported firearms discharges across the region and a 32 per cent reduction in Birmingham alone.

“Our priority is to protect members of the community from people who carry weapons or commit crime. We want to hear from anyone who has suspicions that people, vehicles or properties could be linked to crime − we need to know so we can take action.

“We rely on your help to disarm criminals and potentially save lives. We know the devastating impact that gun crime has on our communities.”

Live Chat with us at west-midlands.police.uk if you know something about gun crime in your community. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You could be saving lives and no one will ever know you’ve called.