{"id":202183,"date":"2018-02-26T18:02:45","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T08:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=202183"},"modified":"2020-08-06T15:42:44","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T05:42:44","slug":"police-seize-869-firearms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/02\/26\/police-seize-869-firearms\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Seize 869 Firearms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Police put the seized weapons through a press to destroy them (Photo: QPS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 26, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Queensland police have seized 869 illegal firearms since launching a statewide blitz on February 1.<\/p>\n

Police Minister Mark Ryan and Commissioner Ian Stewart announced the results of Operation Quebec Camouflage at the Central Exhibits Facility in Brisbane on Monday.<\/p>\n

Mr Ryan said police were harnessing the resources of regional and specialist police, Federal law enforcement and members of the firearm community as part of the blitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis operation has already seen significant results thanks to the efforts of the police and public \u2013 and it is not even over yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA large number of the 869 firearms recovered were found during proactive firearm audits conducted by police and as a result of information provided from our communities via Crime Stoppers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe public has been very supportive, with 101 (as at February 25) incidents of people contacting police with firearms to hand in, resulting in the surrender of 227 firearms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could simply be a case of someone finding a firearm that had been sitting in a garden shed following the passing of a relative or a firearm located when a property has been purchased.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough gun theft is at its lowest in Queensland in four years, Operation Quebec Camouflage shows police are not resting on their laurels.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage anyone with information about the illegal possession of firearms to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800-333-000.”<\/p>\n

Commissioner Stewart said although Queensland has a very healthy firearm community, there was still a large proportion of firearms stolen from regional communities where insufficient firearm security was at least a contributing factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis campaign is not about singling out anyone. It is about reaffirming with firearm holders the importance of ensuring their firearms are secured and stored correctly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Results from Operation Quebec Camouflage as at February 25:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • 869 firearms recovered<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • 101 incidents of people contacting police about firearms to hand in, resulting in the surrender of 227 firearms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • 110 search warrants executed, resulting in the location of 119 weapons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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        Police Video (no sound)<\/strong><\/h3>\n