Category: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

Over 100 arrests made as a result of national investigations through Opal

The fight against retail crime continues building momentum thanks to strong partnerships between policing and retailers and recent Government announcements to strengthen legislation.

The national team collating and coordinating intelligence from police forces and retailers across the country has now effected over 100 arrests (108) of individuals involved in organised retail crime, collectively responsible for over £5.2m in losses to businesses.

The team within Opal (policing’s national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime) has been operational since 1 May 2024 and is funded by the Pegasus Partnership, a joint initiative between the Home Office, policing and retailers and facilitated by PCC Katy Bourne. It coordinates the sharing of intelligence to gain a clearer picture of those who are behind the increase in retail crime.

Opal’s team receives referrals from police forces and retailers and builds intelligence packages, mapping out offending across the country and providing investigative support to bring the highest harm offenders to justice. A package will then be collated and shared with the most appropriate police force to progress the investigation and take action against offenders.

In addition, new legislation announced in the Crime and Policing Bill makes assault of a retail worker a standalone offence and alongside a change to ensure all offences of shop theft are tried as ‘general theft’, removing the perceived immunity granted to shop theft of goods to the value of £200 or less.

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for acquisitive crime. She said:

“We’re fast approaching a year since the organised retail crime team within Opal began accepting referrals and it’s positive to see so many results, with real impact being made. Behind each offender is not just a list of offences, but damage to businesses and all too often trauma experienced by retail workers who suffer abuse at the hands of these criminals.

“We want retailers, workers and the public to feel safe in our shops and to know that policing is doing everything we can to tackling the problem. Working in partnership with retailers, Opal can build a detailed picture of offending across borders so there is quite literally nowhere for these individuals and groups to hide.

“The recent announcements of a standalone offence for assault of a retail worker and the legislation change to ensure any shop theft offence is dealt with robustly, whatever the value, further strengthens our policing response and shows the seriousness of this criminality.

“In addition this dedicated work at a central level, we are seeing much progress in police forces developing their response to retail crime, working closely with their partners to improve the safety of our communities. From prevention to dealing with offenders, we must keep working collaboratively to drive this offending out of our high streets.”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner and APCC joint lead for Business and Retail Crime, Katy Bourne, said:

“I’m thrilled that our Pegasus Partnership is working so well. The results so far from Opal’s Organised Retail Crime Team are impressive and demonstrate the value of the unique partnership between our major retailers and police to identify organised retailed crime gangs and prolific offenders.

“Momentum has been gathering  since the start of Opal’s operations, leading to over 100 arrests across 31 different organized crime groups and £5.2 million of losses linked to offenders. I’m delighted that our Pegasus Partnership has been proven successful and the investment from retailers has clearly paid off as the Government has now allocated funding to Opal.

“Information and intelligence-sharing will remain vital if we want to target offenders and make our high streets and shops safer places for everyone. My congratulations and thanks to the Opal team and our local forces for these excellent results.”

Results from the Opal Organised Retail Crime team since 1 May include:

• 108 arrests from 31 different organised crime groups
• Responsible/linked to £5.2m of loss
• 268 offenders have been identified – ie. Opal was able to link offender/s to an incident where a suspect had previously not been known. Whether through the facial recognition database on the Police National Database or other routes.
• 93 vehicles have been identified linked to shop theft offending
• 112 pieces of intelligence either developed by Opal around ORC or intelligence received from retailers – then submitted into policing
• 194 collaborations and coordinations – where Opal has brought together police forces and/or retailers in a joint approach to disrupt an organised crime group.
• 32 court outcomes related to shop theft offenders
• A total of 24 years in prison sentences for those who have already been through the courts (more to follow)
• 8 offenders deported

Police are working with Crimewatch Live to help identify those suspected of taking part in last year’s summer disorder.

Two episodes of the famous BBC produced programme will feature videos and images of suspects committing the most serious offences, with the first airing today (Monday 3 March).

Members of the public can also visit a new website to look through the images themselves, and submit information that they may have to the relevant police force: https://www.police.uk/disorder-appeal

As always, those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111or give information online.

Police forces across the country remain committed to delivering swift justice to those involved in the summer disorder, and as of 22 January 2025, 1,804 arrests have been made, and with the Crown Prosecution Service, 1,072 charges brought so far, with the highest volume occurring in the north and centre of England, primarily for serious public order offences.

This work has seen criminal justice outcomes delivered across all types of criminality, including arson, riot and assault, with prison sentences for some of the most serious cases, some as long as nine years.

Suspects who have not yet been identified have not escaped justice; we are not stopping in our pursuit of them, and forces are consistently finding new ways to ascertain who they are, and to bring them in for questioning.

If you were at any of these incidents and recognise yourself in any of the images, it is in your interest to do the right thing and contact the police. 

ACC Ian Drummond-Smith of Operation Navette, the national policing response to the summer disorder, said:

“I’m grateful for the support shown by everyone at BBC Crimewatch Live in seeing this appeal come to fruition. We have selected the most violent and serious offences to feature in the program, alongside a larger gallery of wanted people published today on our website. Partnership work like this is a great example of how the public can help us to progress investigations and ensure that offenders face justice.

“I would urge everyone to watch these episodes of Crimewatch Live, and to carefully explore our website to see if you recognise any of the suspects.  We know some people travelled great distances to take part in the disorder, so I’d urge you to review the images even if there was no disorder in your area.

“Working with the CPS, and others in the criminal justice system, we are committed to bringing these offenders to justice keep our communities kept safe”.

Policing once again comes together to celebrate the vital role of police staff

This year’s event follows the very successful inaugural week of celebration held in 2024, and will again coincide with the National Senior Police Staff Network (SPSN) summit held at the College of Policing, which this year also plays host to the first ever National Police Staff Awards.

ACO Gemma Stannard, Head of the NPCC’s Strategic Hub and co-founder of the SPSN said:

“I am extremely pleased that NPCC and the College of Policing are again able to coordinate this wonderful celebration of all things police staff. We saw an outstanding response to last year’s event, with hundreds of our colleagues being recognised and praised, and their work highlighted by peers across the country. 

“I’m excited that this year’s celebration will also see the introduction of the first National Police Staff Awards. We received an incredible number of nominations, detailing the amazing work staff are doing every day across policing, and we can’t wait to share these stories with you all.

“It is so important that the work of police staff is recognised as they play a critical role in keeping our communities safe, bringing offenders to justice, supporting victims, investigating crime and enabling policing.

“I sincerely thank everyone who is involved in making this week and these events possible, and I look forward to hearing more wonderful stories and case studies from colleagues across the country this week.”

ACO Alexis Poole of Devon and Cornwall Police and co-founder of the SPSN said:

“Our inaugural week of celebration and recognition held last year significantly helped to install a sense of pride in the police staff workforce by highlighting examples of individuals and teams who have truly gone above and beyond in the course of their duties, and in service to their communities.

“I know this year we again will help to raise the profile of police staff, and it is our intent that this recognition will also help to inform the workforce of the future about the incredibly rewarding career opportunities available to those who want to work in policing.

“The fact that this year also sees the first ever national awards for police staff is such a positive step for us all. We created these awards to demonstrate the breadth and complexity of the work police staff are undertaking to enable and support the policing mission, and we know that people will feel humbled after hearing these stories.

“Congratulations to all award winners, as well as those who were highly commended!”

NPCC Chair Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said:

“I am delighted to once again see this week of celebration take place. As we saw last year, taking the time across policing to collectively recognise the work and achievements of police staff really does help to promote the incredible breadth of work that they do.

“Police staff do not always get the profile and recognition that they deserve, and I know all police chiefs would agree with me and say that this is something that we must continue to champion.

“For those less familiar with policing, I would urge them to explore the range of roles that are open to police staff: from those conducting analytical, research and scientific support, to forensics and investigations, and neighbourhood policing, these truly are vitally important roles that policing simply could not exist without.

“I’d personally like to thank each and every staff member and volunteer for the huge role they play.”

PCC Emily Spurrell, Chair of the APCC said:

“Keeping the public safe is not achieved by police officers alone, and I’m delighted that the many skilled and dedicated staff whose work may be less visible but is no less vital in preventing crime are being recognised this week.

“Crime is changing, and it is often those who work behind the scenes who are at the forefront of dealing with emerging types of crime. Whether they work in forensics, as a crime analyst, in IT support or as a call handler, police staff are instrumental to protecting communities across the country. I’d like to thank them for their commitment and to congratulate those being recognised in this week’s inaugural National Police Staff Awards.”

An update one year on from the Angiolini Inquiry Part One

The Angiolini Inquiry was established to investigate how an off-duty police officer was able to abduct, rape and murder a member of the public. The findings and recommendations of this investigation were presented in part 1 in February 2024.

Policing accepted all recommendations made and over the last year much work has been ongoing to develop and take forward these recommendations, building the necessary steps to embed them in processes and culture.

Recommendation 14 focussed on “Positive culture and elimination of misconduct or criminality often excused as ‘banter’”. The Inquiry stated that every police force should commit publicly to being an anti-sexist, anti-misogynistic, anti-racist organisation. It was agreed by all police chiefs in England, Scotland and Wales that we commit to a police service that is anti-discriminatory, placing inclusion at the heart of culture and today this statement is underlined.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said:

“I stand with my colleagues across policing to say we are fully committed to a police service that is anti-discriminatory and we continue working hard to eradicate sexism, racism, misogyny and discrimination in all forms.

“Actions speak louder than words and while a statement can be incredibly powerful, we know that what is more important is how we embed an anti-discriminatory culture. We are driving out behaviour that does not meet the high standards of integrity the public and colleagues deserve and creating an environment where everyone is supported and empowered.

“This commitment to being anti-discriminatory represents a line in the sand while building on the valuable work ongoing across policing to address poor culture and ensure our workforce meets the high standards our communities expect and deserve.

“The Angiolini Inquiry part one was an urgent call for action and I know I speak for everyone in policing when I say we heard that call and are fully committed to bringing lasting, impactful change for future generations.”

Much progress has been made against the recommendations set out in February 2024 with a robust governance structure managing the national and local response and regular reporting back to the Everard family and the Inquiry team.

Key updates include:

• Provisions made for stringent information sharing between police forces and the armed services when individuals are transferring or moving onto new organisations.
• Vetting reform work ongoing to review the processes and procedures in vetting, reviewing robust measures and checks to ensure the integrity of policing’s workforce.
• A working group, supported by leading academics, is examining the use of psychometric testing in vetting as another means of identifying any cause for concern.
• Best practice and learning is being shared around in-person interviews and home visits for police officer applicants with pilots in place and more being developed.
• The NPCC and Home Office are working in partnership to develop a continuous integrity screening solution which will be piloted in late 2025. The purpose of the solution is to ensure police officers, staff and volunteers are regularly and automatically checked through the Police National Database, highlighting any issues or changes so they can be addressed as required.
• Publication of the revised vetting approved professional practice
  • o This encompasses a number of changes which reflect many of the recommendations around vetting, strengthening the process and reframing vetting as an ongoing process throughout the careers of officers and staff, rather than a moment in time.
• Nationally and locally, reporting mechanisms have been strengthened so that the policing workforce is empowered and supported in reporting any concerns about colleagues.
• Many police forces have implemented policies around dealing with indecent exposure incidents and the College of Policing has introduced a detailed new training package on non-contact sexual offences, placing victims at the heart of investigations.
• Policing must be an inclusive and desirable employer for everyone and the Angiolini Inquiry made recommendations particularly around supporting women in policing. Significant work is ongoing to look at how women can be better supported with a new ‘Family Friendly’ policy developed and a uniform review in progress.

National Policing Culture and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030

The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have developed a five-year culture and inclusion strategy for policing.

The strategy sets the vision for policing to have a representative workforce that is a trusted profession, demonstrating the highest levels of integrity, fairness and respect towards each other and the public we serve.

The strategy is available for police forces to implement from 1 April 2025. It establishes new standards focusing on two interconnected priorities: evolving police organisations and improved working with the public. As part of the strategy there will be practical guidance and tools available to support forces to create lasting cultural change.

The strategy will be owned by a chief officer in each force who will maintain sign-off and oversight of force performance on an annual basis.

The NPCC and College of Policing will work with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to enable effective scrutiny of progress against this strategy and the culture and inclusion standard for policing.

To report corruption or serious abuse within policing

To report corruption or serious abuse within policing, please contact the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service, run by the independent charity Crimestoppers. The service gives the public an anonymous route to report information about a police officer, member of staff or volunteer, who they believe are corrupt or committing serious abuse.

Contact the service by calling 0800 085 0000 or via the Crimestoppers’ website. For more information about the service, click here Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service | Police.uk

With less than 10 days remaining of national gun amnesty.

Police forces across England and Wales have seen over 1,000 Turkish manufactured guns handed in as part of a national amnesty currently taking place for owners, of soon to be outlawed blank firing guns, to hand them over to police.

The top-venting blank firing (TVBF) guns have become popular with organised criminals in recent years due to the ease at which they are readily convertible into lethal firearms. Tests by the National Crime Agency and policing, funded by the Home Office, show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers are readily convertible and therefore illegal. TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible.

Police forces across England and Wales have been holding a four-week Firearms Amnesty for Turkish manufactured TVBFs namely models with the brand names ‘Retay’, ‘Ekol’, ‘Ceonic’ and ‘Blow’, although anyone with a TVBF who is unsure of whether the law change applies to them has been given the simple advice – if in doubt, hand it in.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the Criminal Use of Firearms, said: “These weapons are readily convertible and therefore have been outlawed. Only with the public’s support can we get these potentially lethal weapons off the streets.

“What we have seen so far this month that the public have taken onboard the message and are visiting their local police station to hand in these weapons. It is important the public hand in these weapons to avoid them being used by criminals.

“Taking these weapons off the streets will stop them from being converted and go a significant way to help protect the public.

“With less than 10 days until the amnesty finishes, I would urge anyone with a Turkish manufactured TVBF to hand it in to their local police force. If you are in doubt whether yours is one of the brands, I would encourage you to hand it in to the police.”

So far, the amnesty has seen the following items handed in:

• 1,000 Turkish manufactured top-venting firers
• 3,000 rounds of ammunitions surrendered; this is primarily blank ammunition

The amnesty started on 3 February and is due to end next week on Friday 28 February 2025, after which anyone in possession of a TVBF could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment.

In their original state TVBFs have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges. When discharged, combustion gases vent from the top of the weapon. TVBFs are sold with at least 50 per cent of their visible surface painted a bright colour however, criminals may paint them black so they look like an original lethal purpose (OLP) weapon as well as convert them to a lethal purpose firearm.

Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said: “Illegal firearms are dangerous and life-threatening, which is why we have such strong controls on them and we continue to keep all relevant laws under constant review.

“That’s why it’s important for any member of the public to hand these blank firers into their local police station, as it’s vital to take these illegal weapons off our streets to protect public safety.”

Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered more than 1,000 converted TVBFs in criminal circumstances. Firearms legislation has not changed; 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. Police are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before 28 February 2025 to help them avoid prosecution and prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.

Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to a local police station and handing it in.

NCA Deputy Director, Charles Yates, said: “These four Turkish brands have appeared routinely in investigations and there had been a strong demand for them from organised criminals. They posed a significant threat.

“Preventing the sale of these illegal guns will make it harder for offenders to acquire a firearm. By surrendering their top-venting blank-firers, members of the public have helped us in our ongoing mission to keep communities safe.

“The amnesty is just one example of how the NCA and policing work together relentlessly to protect the public from the threat of firearms.”

Other unwanted, unlicensed firearms and ammunition may be surrendered to police at any time which will avoid the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.

Up until Friday 28 February 2025, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and will not have to give their details. However, the history of any live firearms handed in will be checked for evidence if its use in crime.

Top-venting blank firers can be handed in at designated police stations across England and Wales but anyone handing one during the Firearms Amnesty is advised to check with their local force regarding station locations and opening times for the amnesty. To receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station phone 101 before travelling.

If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity should call the Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Every call to Crimestoppers is anonymous and potentially vital to preventing or solving serious crimes; removing an illegally held firearm may just save someone’s life.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).

Police chiefs, whilst recognising the financial context, are calling for an increase in officer pay across all ranks of 3.8% as well as raising the starting salary for constables and reviewing pay scales to match skills and experience.

These changes together will help with the recruitment and retention of officers and in turn support the Government’s Safer Streets Mission, Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and its focus on reducing knife crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls.

The recommendations, recognising the highly demanding nature of the role, also include wider officer pay structure reform and outline the importance of making policing a competitive career through better pay for all officers.

Police chiefs have also stressed the importance of adequate funding for all forces to cover any increase, recognising that the ability for forces to absorb additional cost pressures is extremely limited.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Pay and Conditions, Assistant Chief Officer Philip Wells, said: “Below market starting salaries for constables and real term pay cuts for officers poses a significant challenge to attracting and retaining talented police officers.

“To deliver against the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we need to recruit, build and retain skills, attracting those people with the aptitude but also values and standards we need in policing.

“Our recommendations recognise the significant financial pressure facing both forces and government, whilst advocating for the critical need for a funded uplift in officer pay which reflects the incredibly challenging nature of the job.”

Government funding to establish a dedicated national hub that will centralise policing’s response to violence against women and girls and wider crimes associated with vulnerability has been confirmed today (Sunday, 2 February).

The creation of a dedicated policing hub will support forces with specialist knowledge and training for investigators and officers, and lead on a national approach to preventing these crimes from happening, with other agencies.

Police chiefs declared violence against women and girls a national emergency last year, and called for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, to tackle the threat through prevention.

Policing mobilised its response to tackle violence against women and girls at a national level by establishing a dedicated taskforce sat within the National Police Chiefs’ Council in 2021. Since then, the taskforce has worked with the College of Policing, the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme, the Child Sexual Exploitation taskforce, government and support organisations to drive consistency and best practice across all forces in England and Wales.

Building on the successes of programs like Operation Soteria, the new centre will work with academics to ensure an evidence-based approach, transforming the way policing looks at and responds to these crimes.

T/CC Maggie Blyth, National Police Chief’s Council lead for Violence Against Women and Girls said: “We welcome the official announcement and the financial support of government to implement a national policing centre to further protect victims and enhance our specialist capability to target perpetrators.

“We already have the foundations in place, we have a strong partnership across the College of Policing (CoP), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and specialised programmes to drive better consistency in policing’s response to violence against women and girls.

“Our officers work tirelessly every day to bring offenders to justice and keep people safe, but we need to do more and that starts with equipping our officers with the right training and support to be able to investigate effectively, in the same way as we would provide specialist training to firearms or public order officers.

“We also need to listen and support victims through the criminal justice process and alongside partners, we will drive improvements for swifter justice and a quicker more robust response when people seek our help.

“As we set out last year, the threat and scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG), has reached epidemic levels and it is estimated that at least 1 in every 12 women will be a victim of VAWG every year (2 million victims) and 1 in 20 adults in England and Wales will be a perpetrator of VAWG every year (2.3 million perpetrators). The figures are probably even higher, so we must act now to stop male-perpetrated violence, and we are committed to transforming the policing of public protection, so we have a national standard to decrease harm and cost to society.

“The national centre forms part of our wider work with government on our shared commitment to reform policing and ensure forces have the people and resources they need to keep the public safe.”

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, the College of Policing’s Director of Operational Standards, said:

“Every year, at least one in 12 women will be the victim of violence. This is a startling and unacceptable statistic and one which we, collectively, must commit ourselves to changing.

“Policing is dedicated to protecting women and girls by targeting those who seek to harm them; and ensuring victims have the confidence to come forward, that they are listened to, treated compassionately and receive the best possible service.

“That’s why we’ll place victims at the heart of the new centre and work across law enforcement, government and key stakeholders in both the public and voluntary sectors to boost the training we give to officers working in this area.

“The College of Policing will support forces to achieve the highest possible standards and, building on the success of the existing programmes, we will provide policing with the data, research and insight to improve the response to violence against women and girls.

“I’m grateful to the government for the support and funding provided.”

500% increase in police costs for dealing with dangerous dogs expected by end of financial year 

Almost one year on from the ban on XL Bully dogs in the UK, the latest figures show the huge burden this has placed on policing, with kennel spaces reaching capacity and costs increasing by the day.  

Chief Constable Mark Hobrough is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for dangerous dogs, he said: 

“Since the introduction of the ban on XL Bully dogs police services have had to quickly adapt, taking positive action to respond to thousands of calls from the public and doing everything we can to remove these dangerous dogs from our communities.  

“Undoubtedly the ban and our response to it has driven down the number of dog attacks and we are pleased that the public continues to support us by reporting suspected XL Bully dogs in their local area.  

“However, the demand has been and continues to be simply huge. We are facing a number of challenges in kennel capacity, resourcing and ever-mounting costs and as of today, we have not received any additional funding to account for this.  

“Veterinary bills and the cost of kennelling across policing has risen from £4m in 2018 to currently standing at more than £11m and this is expected to rise to as much as £25m by the end of April 2025. That’s a predicted 500% increase. 

“Before the XL Bully ban was introduced there were 120 Dog Liaison Officers across England and Wales, we then trained an additional 100 with a further 40 identified to be trained this coming year.  This means that in some areas established dog handlers have been called away from other policing duties. We have had to purchase additional vehicles, equipment and find countless extra kennel spaces from the finite that are available within the industry.   

“Policing will uphold the government’s decisions, and we’ll act robustly to do so, but the bigger picture is a focus on responsible dog ownership. People need to be aware of the types of dogs that they’re bringing into their homes and make the right decisions to choose a breed which suits their lifestyle, environment and experience. 

“We are also asking for amendments to the existing legislation so we have alternative options to deal with the specific circumstances of a particular case. At the moment, the only option you have is to go to court when someone is in possession of an unregistered XL Bully but we feel there are some situations which could be swiftly dealt with through out of court disposals. For example, there’s potentially a big difference in someone who has unwittingly ended up owning a dog from a young age they weren’t aware was an XL Bully or those who on veterinary advice were unable to have their dog neutered by the deadline versus an individual who is intentionally breeding and selling these dogs.  

“At the top end, unscrupulous criminal dealers and breeders need to feel the full weight of the law going to court but alternative methods of out of court disposals would support us in taking a proportionate response as required.   

“We will always protect our communities by ensuring these dangerous dogs are dealt with but we urgently need the Government to support us in coping with the huge demand the ban has placed on our ever-stretched resources.” 

Statistics 

• Police forces in England and Wales have seized and euthanised 848 dogs between February and September 2024 at an estimated cost of £340K. These were dogs which were surrendered to police by owners who had not complied with the ban, nor taken advantage of the compensation scheme. 

• Between February and September 2024, policing has seized over 4,586 suspected S1 dogs * throughout England and Wales. People have been going to court, and will continue to do so, facing criminal convictions, fines and imprisonment for being in possession of these illegal types of dog. 

• Since the start of the XL Bully ban police services have increased kennel capacity by a third.  

• It can cost up to £1,000 a month to keep dogs in kennels and with up to an 18-month lead in time so both kennel demand / expenditure moving forward will become even more acute. We are aware of court cases not being scheduled until mid-2026 for some dangerously out of control cases. 

• The police officer/staff overtime bill for forces between February 2024 and September 2024 was circa £560K. 

*A section 1 dog is any of the specified banned breeds in the Dangerous Dogs Act.  

A national amnesty will take place in February for owners of soon to be outlawed blank firing guns to hand them over to police.

Police forces across England and Wales will be holding a four-week Firearms Amnesty for Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) which are now illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency and policing.

The amnesty will take place between 3 to 28 February 2025, after which anyone in possession of a top-venting blank firer (TVBF) could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Tests by the National Crime Agency and policing, funded by the Home Office, show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers are readily convertible and therefore illegal. TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible.

In their original state TVBFs have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges. When discharged, combustion gases vent from the top of the weapon. TVBFs are sold with at least 50 per cent of their visible surface painted a bright colour however, criminals may paint them black so they look like an original lethal purpose (OLP) weapon as well as convert them to a lethal purpose firearm.

Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered more than 800 of the guns in criminal circumstances and converted blank firers have been used in at least four homicides in the UK in the last two years. The specific Turkish firearms soon be made illegal are models with the brand names ‘Retay’, ‘Ekol’, ‘Ceonic ISSC’ and ‘Blow’, although anyone with a TVBF who is unsure of whether the law change applies to them has been given the simple advice – if in doubt, hand it in.

Firearms legislation has not changed; 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. The police are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before 28 February 2025 to help them avoid prosecution and prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.

Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to a local police station and handing it in.

The amnesty for TVBFs will be held for four weeks. Other unwanted, unlicensed firearms and ammunition may be surrendered to police at any time which will avoid the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.

During the Amnesty period, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and will not have to give their details. However, the history of any live firearms handed in will be checked for evidence if its use in crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the Criminal Use of Firearms, said: “The top-venting blank firers are used by criminals and can be converted into lethal firearms.

“During the last two years, policing and the NCA has identified and disrupted several workshops used to convert these pistols into lethal weapons.

“In the same period, large numbers of converted weapons were recovered across multiple locations, alongside thousands of rounds of blank calibre and modified ammunition.

“One investigation recovered more than 400 converted weapons from a single crime group. There is a strong demand for them evidenced by the numbers imported and subsequent recovery from criminals.

“Stopping the sale of these top-venting blank firers from being converted will go a significant way to help protect the public.”

Top-venting blank firers can be handed in at designated police stations across England and Wales but anyone handing one during the Firearms Amnesty is advised to check with their local force regarding station locations and opening times for the amnesty. To receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station phone 101 before travelling.

If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity should call the Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Every call to Crimestoppers is anonymous and potentially vital to preventing or solving serious crimes; removing an illegally held firearm may just save someone’s life.