Police are issuing a warning following recent incidents involving so-called toy gel guns across Staffordshire recently.
Over the last two months, officers have dealt with 10 incidents involving gel guns being used in an anti-social manner.
They are typically sold as toys and are used to shoot pellets made of gel and water.
Due to their appearance, police have had a number of reports where they have been mistaken and reported as actual firearms – prompting police to send armed officers to the scene to investigate.
People are using them to deliberately cause panic and alarm by shooting them at strangers in the local area.
Inspector Mark Burslem, of the local policing team said: “While using these types of toy gun may seem like a bit of fun, we would like to emphasise the risk involved in using them publicly and the disruption it has caused to both the force and local communities.
“They can be easily mistaken for real firearms and are still capable of causing injury to people if they are used recklessly.
“We don’t tolerate people deliberately causing panic and alarm within our communities and those who are using them in an anti-social manner are likely to face arrest.
To report an incident, call 101 or message using Live Chat on the website – www.staffordshire.police.uk
In an emergency, always call 999.
