WEST Yorkshire Police is encouraging people to “know the gun, know the law, know the consequences” as it supports a national campaign to raise awareness about the danger of firearms.

Through the campaign the National Crime Agency (NCA) is warning young people: “You only get one shot in life – don’t blow it.”

And the police force is giving its backing to the national campaign to raise awareness amongst people interested in firearms or on the fringes of criminal gangs.

West Yorkshire Police continues to work with local partners and the public to tackle serious and organised crime in the county, through the Programme Precision strategy.

One of its principle aims is to reduce the threat of SOC within communities through targeted enforcement and targeted intervention and diversion.

The criminal use of firearms continues to be a force priority and the seizing of illegal firearms is a key element to mitigating the risk of this kind of crime.

Detective Superintendent Carl Galvin leads Programme Precision said: "Illegal firearms are a significant threat to the communities we serve and as a force we are doing everything possible to remove them from the streets and bring offenders to justice.

"Programme Precision is helping to make a significant difference but we cannot do this work alone.

"I want to urge people to consider the consequences of their actions in getting involved in gun crime in the first place.

“This is the main message of this national campaign – the importation, possession and supply of unlawful firearms within the UK is a substantial risk both to an individual who chooses to get involved and the wider community who become victims to offences associated with this type of crime.

“I would urge everyone, especially young people to ‘know the gun, know the law and know the consequences’ of illegal possession of firearms in West Yorkshire and the wider UK.”