After a wanted man was spotted by police officers in Crewe, Cheshire, a firearms unit and force helicopter were deployed. The man was tracked to an address in the town and arrested on suspicion of breach of a criminal behaviour order, criminal damage and conspiracy to possess a firearm.

Armed police officers, who responded to a report of a group with a suspected offensive weapon at a car park in Totton, Hampshire, seized a BB gun, cannabis, drug paraphernalia, cash and a mobile phone. Following searches of those present, a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm in a public place.

David Constantin, 22, and Bocioug Scarlat, 33, have been sentenced in their absence to three years and thirteen months, respectively, for their involvement in a violent confrontation in Birmingham, West Midlands in January 2021. After three men knocked at their door to complain about noise, Constantin and Scarlat armed themselves with a blank-firing gun and a Rambo knife and chased them down the street. Constantin pointed the gun towards the men and cocked it as if ready to fire. Police subsequently recovered the knife, gun and a blank cartridge.

Armed police officers were deployed following reports of a person with a suspected handgun in Northampton, Northamptonshire. A plastic toy gun was recovered at the scene and a teenage boy given strong words of advice.

Brian McIntyre, aged 53, has been handed a 20-month suspended prison term after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. In September 2023, armed airport police were deployed after security officials found a gun and magazine in McIntyre’s suitcase at Manchester Airport. McIntyre told police that he hadn’t known the gun was in the bag. His guilty plea was accepted on the basis that neither the gun nor ammunition had left the suitcase while he was in the UK. McIntyre was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1080.

As part of an operation targeting burglaries in Leeds, West Yorkshire, a man was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal and possession of a bladed article. After suspected Class A drugs, a handgun and ammunition were subsequently found at an address in the area, he was further arrested on suspicion of firearm and drug offences.

Jamie Payne, aged 22, has been jailed for two years and ten months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and cocaine. In February 2021, police officers executing a warrant at Payne’s home in St Ives, Cambridgeshire recovered drugs, mobile phones, £4,060 in cash and an air pistol from his car. Payne was arrested later the same day after being found carrying more drugs and £2,700 in cash.

Armed police officers were deployed following reports of a man with a gun in Swindon, Wiltshire. Officers recovered a weapon and charged a man with possession of a firearm while committing a schedule one offence and blackmail.

Jordan Taylor, aged 30, has been handed a seventeen-month suspended prison term after pleading guilty to multiple charges including criminal damage, assault by beating, two counts of assault by beating emergency workers, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and possession of an offensive weapon. In August 2023, after calling police to tell them he felt like crashing his car at 100 miles an hour, Taylor went to the home of his ex-partner’s mum in Bootle, Merseyside and repeatedly fired a paintball gun at the property. When a neighbour shouted at him to stop, he drove to his former partner's house and “sprayed her front door with paintballs”. When the mother and the neighbour, who had followed him to the property, drove away, Taylor pulled alongside their vehicle and opened fire again. One of the paintballs went through an open window of the neighbour’s car and hit her in the side of her head. She described the injury as “extremely painful” and was left with a lump and heavy bruising. Police officers, who had been looking for Taylor since his call, witnessed him firing the paintball gun at the neighbour and chased him as he drove away. He was eventually stopped with a stinger device and arrested. The court heard that Taylor’s mental health issues had worsened during a paternity dispute with his former partner and the judge ordered him to carry out a series of rehabilitation programmes, including drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment.

Paul Burton, aged 45, has been jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm to cause fear of violence. His co-defendant, 37-year-old Nathan Turner, received 20 months for affray and five counts of criminal damage. In November 2022, Burton and Turner confronted a neighbour at a block of flats in Bedford, Bedfordshire after she asked them to turn their music down. When both men came out into the communal corridor and Burton pointed an air rifle at the woman’s door, she alerted police. The men retreated into Burton's flat when armed police officers arrived, from where they threatened to “shoot the first officer who tried to come in”. Burton then fired the air rifle from his balcony, hitting a police car occupied by an officer and smashing the windscreen, while Turner threw paint and plant pots at vehicles parked below. After negotiation, both men were arrested and the air rifle and an imitation firearm were recovered from the property.