Just 3% of guns seized were in Derry area

Two pistols and a revolver were recovered in the local policing district between March 2016 and March 2018.

Two hundred and eleven rounds of ammunition were also seized over the same timeframe.

The seizures comprised just three per cent of the 88 guns and 6,357 rounds of ammo recovered across the North during that time.

Compare this with the 27 guns (three machine guns/submachine guns, one rifle, seven shotguns, nine pistols and seven revolvers) and 1,980 rounds of ammunition that were seized in Belfast.

In Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon 15 weapons (one machine gun/submachine gun, two rifles, seven shotguns, four pistols and one revolver) and 192 rounds were recovered.

And in Mid and East Antrim 15 guns (one machine gun/submachine gun, one rifle, five shotguns, five pistols, and three revolvers) and 1,154 rounds were taken out of circulation.

Derry and Strabane had one of the lowest seizure rates recorded by police, according to the data which were released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation.

There were more seizures in Causeway Coast and Glens, for example, where six weapons were recovered along with 906 rounds of ammo.

The data “exclude replica/blank firing firearms, air guns, firearms seized due to a firearms certificate lapsing andamunitions from World War 1 or World War 2 found on the beach or in attics”.