10-year-old children among those arrested for gun crimes
Children as young as 10 years old were among hundreds of youngsters arrested for suspected gun crimes in the last three years, new figures have revealed.
In the East Midlands:
Nottinghamshire Police said seven children under the age of 11 had been arrested for suspected firearm offences since 2013.
Derbyshire Constabulary said seven boys were arrested for suspected firearm offences in 2015, compared with seven in 2014 and eight in 2013.
A Freedom of Information Request showed that 84 children in the West Midlands have been charged in the last three years.
In the West Midlands:
Warwickshire Police said three boys (two aged 17 and one aged 16) were arrested for suspected firearm offences in 2015, compared with one boy aged 17 in 2014 and one boy aged 16 in 2013.
West Mercia Police said 21 child arrests - all boys aged 14 to 17 - for suspected firearm offences involved since 2013. They included nine boys in 2015, compared with six in 2014 and six in 2013.
West Midlands Police said 83 boys and one girl had been charged with firearm offences since 2013, including an 11-year-old boy in 2015, a 12-year-old boy in 2013 and eight boys aged 13.
Figures from 29 forces which provided the number of child arrests for suspected gun crimes each year showed the number rose from 423 in 2014 to 507 in 2015.
Police say forces across the country are working to stop youngsters getting involved with weapons.