In a new poster campaign North Yorkshire Police are reminding firearm and shotgun holders about the importance of ensuring only authorised people can access a gun cabinet.

Posters with a hard-hitting safety message are being distributed to dealers and other organisations. They urge owners to make sure nobody else knows how to access their cabinet – including family members.

Inspector Andy Palmer, of North Yorkshire Police’s Firearms Licensing team, said: “Sadly, our firearms licensing team does come across circumstances in which uncertificated persons know where the keys to a gun cabinet are kept.

“There have been cases which have resulted in truly tragic consequences, so I would urge certificate holders to take extra care to make sure that only they know how to access their gun cabinet.

“This is a hard-hitting campaign, but it is important to get the message across and prevent the worst from happening.”

The picture used in the poster is posed by a model.