Shotgun found buried in Hoxton children’s playground

Sniffer dog and metal detector used to find weapon and live ammunitition

Firearms officers discovered a gun buried in a children’s play area in Hoxton yesterday afternoon (November 23).

The Browning shotgun was found about 12.30pm hidden below eight inches of soil in the Apples and Pears Adventure Playground in Pearson Street.

Officers used a metal detector and a sniffer dog to locate the weapon, which had been broken into three working parts and left with live ammunition.

They took it away for forensic examination.

Detectives from Operation Bantam, Hackney’s unit tackling gun crime, are investigating. No arrests have been made.

Det Sgt Dave Coxall said: “In the last 12 months over 40 firearms have been recovered in Hackney, helping prevent serious injury and death on our streets. This success shows how responsive Operation Bantam officers are to the intelligence we receive and I would urge anyone with an information about firearms on the borough to contact us. Hackney Borough Police is dedicated to tackling the issues head on and this result is another notable success in our battle against violent crime.”

Anyone with information should call 020 7275 4060.