This message serves to both inform you, especially those of you who may have witnessed it, about an incident that occurred yesterday, but also it as a plea for common sense.

Yesterday, a young male was walking around Blackburn town centre with a BB-Gun sticking out of his pocket and carrying it in his hand. Whilst the weapon is now known to be a BB-gun, it was very realistic in its appearance and caused significant concern amongst those that reported it to the Police. We are very grateful for the assistance of members of the public in this incident - one of whom bravely confronted the male, not knowing the weapon to be an imitation and removed it from him. 

Specially Trained Officers were deployed to the area and detained the male. The weapon was confirmed not to be a genuine firearm however due to the circumstances of the incident, the male was arrested on suspicion of Possession of an Imitation Firearm in a Public Place.

What it appears the young man failed to grasp, was the effect that this could have on other shoppers. Alongside this is the potential Police response to such incidents. Officers are required to make split second decisions, with limited information, in situations where the apparent risk to the public is significant.

Think about others, think about yourself, don’t create panic and help us to respond to incidents where people genuinely need help.

Stay Safe,

Your Local Neighbourhood Policing Team