Police issue another caution about replica guns problems

London Community News

On Thursday (Aug. 9) at approximately 11:37 a.m. a citizen observed a male holding what was believed to be a handgun, pointing and pretending to shoot the gun in the area of Kipps Lane and Belfield. A 15-year-old London boy has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon after police found a BB gun tucked in his waistband. The possession and use of a replica gun places a police officer in a difficult position.  Replica guns are designed to look like the real thing, and when confronted with these police have only a split second to decide on the course of action that they will take. A police officer has no way of knowing the gun is not real and when presented with a perceived threat a police officer must respond accordingly.  This can result in a very dangerous situation for the person possessing the gun, nearby members of the public and the police. Police are asking that common sense be used, and that these replica guns be kept out of public areas. This is the second time in three weeks they addressed this issue.