08 October 2007 09:20
Evening News 24

Amnesties held by police forces across the country normally unearth a wide range of deadly weapons - but it is rare for an amnesty to yield as many with plastic or elastic parts as this novel event.

The Foolhardy Folk Circus, based at Church Road, Sprowston, organise

d the a toy gun amnesty outside The Forum in Norwich's Millennium Plain over the weekend encouraging youngsters to hand in their plastic guns in return for a toy duck and a heart.

The murder of 11-year-old schoolboy Rhys Jones who was shot as he walked home from football practice to his home in Liverpool, in August and a spate of other gun-related tragedies prompted Cosmo Hardy to organise the Guns Are Not Toys amnesty in Norwich on Saturday.

“It's an idea we had as clowns because of the current climate with all the gun crime,” he said. “Everyone wants to try and solve it and we're saying start at the roots which is in childhood.”

Cosmo, who was one of about three clowns taking part in the amnesty, said it was the first time he had arranged such an event, but was delighted with the public's reaction.

“We had a fantastic response,” he said. “A lot of parents said they had already banned guns in the house, while other children have walked away with a leaflet, and someone said they would bring me all their swords.

“We had a handful of guns handed in - ones which fire elastic bands - but it's more the idea about getting the message out there.”

Cosmo and the other clowns talking part in the amnesty were dressed up like rock stars with signs of peace and love adorning their colourful clothes.

“Normally we're making people laugh, but we were dressed up and trying to keep it light-hearted,” he said.

The Foolhardy Folk Circus, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, might carry out further amnesties in the future and hopes to get other clown groups throughout the country on board.

“You never know, it might catch on,” said Mr Hardy. “I would like to try and spread it across the country to other places. It might catch on and it could grow.”

As the Evening News reported last year a more lethal amnesty re

sulted in 1,723 knives and other offensive weapons being handed into police in Norfolk as part of a nationwide campaign targeting use of knives and other offensive weapons in crimes.

In 2001 the Evening News launched its Bin the Blades campaign to encourage people to hand over dangerous weapons.

More than 230 potentially deadly items, including a medieval mace and 18in blades were handed in. The arsenal of weapons was deposited in 10 bins placed in and around police stations in Norwich.

The campaign was heralded as a success by police who said it had rid the streets of an “evil array of weaponry”. The amnesty was organised after it was revealed how easy it was for a school child to buy potentially lethal weapons in city centre stores.