GUN crime in Wiltshire appeared to hit an 11-year high last year.

Home Office data revealed the county force recorded 47 offences involving a firearm in 2018/19.

It represented a 21 per cent hike on the previous year and an 11-year high.

Wiltshire Police’s Supt Gavin Williams said it was very rare for incidents to involve real firearms and the county remained a very safe place to live.

The incidents recorded by the Home Office include offences where a firearm has been fired, used as a blunt instrument or as a threat.

Offences with low-powered weapons such as BB guns and pepper spray are included in police figures, alongside shotguns, handguns and rifles. However, with the data excluding crimes involving air weapons, the real number may be higher.

On average, there were seven firearms offences per 100,000 people in Wiltshire – below the national average of 11.

Across England and Wales, 9,787 gun offences were recorded last year. It was down 60 per cent on 2003/4, the year with the highest number of gun reports.

Supt Gavin Williams said: “Wiltshire is still below the national average and although the 21 per cent may appear a fair increase we need to put this in to context. This rise equates to one firearm incident every two months in our county.

“Also, a so-called incident can include anything like the use of a replica weapon and BB gun. Rarely, does it involve a real live gun.

“Our crime recording is now more accurate and continues to be to reflect the low numbers of crimes where guns are used.

“Wiltshire remains a very safe county but we are never complacent. We continue to monitor intelligence so we can react to any high risk situation quickly.

“We have a number of highly-trained officers ready to respond to any firearms’ situation. Officers who, due to the few gun related incidents we get in our county, are rarely called upon to act; instead they are out and about in our towns and villages supporting our Community Policing Teams with day to day work, but are ready to act at a moment’s notice if needed.”

Included among the figures was a two-hour armed stand-off between police and Scott Symonds.

The shooter armed himself with replica and deactivated guns before pointing the weapons at officers.

He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court in November to four years and nine months imprisonment.