Rare Second World War pistol taken from German prisoner handed in as part of gun amnesty

The rare Frommer Stop self-loading pistol was taken from the prisoner as a trophy in the closing stages of World War Two. It was surrendered in Hertfordshire.

It was among 143 firearms and more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition handed in as part of a police gun amnesty across Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

The operation, between May 12 and 29, was part of a nationwide firearms surrender campaign encouraging members of the public to hand in any unwanted or illegal firearms to avoid prosecution for simple possession offences.

In Bedfordshire, police recovered 13 weapons, including one viable original lethal purpose firearm.

Chief Superintendent Matt Thompson, firearms surrender campaign lead for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police forces, said: “This operation has seen a large number of weapons rendered safe from harm, including 58 viable firearms, many of which were more vulnerable to falling into the hands of criminals.

“Firearms incidents in our counties are thankfully rare occurrences, in no small part due to operations like this one, which demonstrate the continued willingness of the wider public to make such meaningful contributions to public safety.”

> While the vast majority of the surrendered firearms will be subject to destruction, the rare Second World War handgun, which is classified as a section 5 firearm under the 1968 Firearms Act (unlawful to possess without very specific, strict authorities in England and Wales), is to be transferred to the Ministry of Defence and added to its teaching collection.