RCIPS plans school outreach over pellet guns

(CNS): The RCIPS Community Policing Unit will be working with school liaison officers and parents through appropriate forums to address the growing misuse among some young people of pellet guns and gel blasters. Following recent reports that people in Prospect were targeted by teenagers firing gel guns from cars, a number of CNS readers told us that these incidents are more frequent than many people realise, something the police have now confirmed.

A spokesperson for the RCIPS said that two arrests have been made and five of these toys have been recovered as evidence. Case files for the two males arrested, one of them a juvenile, have been submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for review. Police said that they had been “charged and brought before the court regarding unrelated matters”.

The RCIPS said the gel guns (or gel blasters), which are capable of discharging water-filled bead pellets or other similar projectiles but were not manufactured to be lethal or cause serious harm, are being misused and have caused fear and harm within the community.

“It is the intention of the RCIPS to raise the concerns regarding the misuse of these devices in our high schools through the school liaison officers with our Community Policing Unit, as well as with parents through other appropriate forums such as media outreach messages,” the RCIPS said in response to CNS inquiries on behalf of readers.