Thefts Trigger Operation Armour

LOCAL police are alarmed at the increase of firearm thefts in the Hunter and across the state, with Operation Armour launched yesterday across rural New South Wales.

Last week ammunition was stolen from Merriwa and a gun in Merriwa a couple of weeks prior.

Inspector Rob Post, is urging all local firearm owners to keep their firearms and ammunition secure to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

“It’s certainly disturbing the amount we are having, we are getting several in a month across our district which is a big area from Cessnock, to Murrurundi and further out west past Cassilis, so it is a big area and we have a lot of rural homes that do have firearms,” Inspector Post.

“There are times we might go a couple of months and not have thefts, then have several of them and it’s not just here, it’s across the state,” he said.

“There is a market for illegal firearms due to the tightening of the firearms laws over the last 20 years,” he said.

“Unfortunately, they do view farmers and rural areas as soft targets and it’s easy to tell if someone is not home and just about every farm will have a firearm within it, compared to if you are in a residential area where it would be unlikely,” he said.

“The gun laws changed a couple of years ago, registered owners have to have their firearms secured at an occupied residence and usually one they live; previously they were able to be stored in unoccupied premises, but that is no longer the case,” he said.

“Often when we investigate the theft of firearms, they have not been secured properly, which is an offence and can mean the licence holder then has to go to court to explain why the firearms haven’t been stored in accordance with the legislation,” said Rob Post.

As part of Operation Armour, firearms prohibition orders and weapons prohibition orders will be conducted as well as safe storage inspections.

More information on the responsibilities for a firearms owner, including licences, permits; sale and purchase, and safe storage visit: the Firearms Registry page on the NSW Police Force website.