Armed police have been dealing with toy gun incidents

It follows incidents where armed officers have had to deal with reports of youngsters brandishing firearms.

Police say that on nearly all the occasions the "guns" have turned out to be air-weapons, pellet-firing ball bearing (BB) guns, or replicas.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Bagshaw said every weapon being carried in these kinds of incidents would be "considered lethal until proved otherwise."

Law appeal

He said: "I have genuine concerns that when police officers armed with semi-automatic weapons are facing up to young people 'armed' with toy guns, there is always the potential for tragedy.

"Our officers are highly trained and highly responsible, but we all know that on the spur of the moment, mistakes can happen.

"If an officer feels that someone's life is being threatened, then a shot could be fired."

In recent weeks, armed police were sent to Harrogate following a report of man pointing a gun from a moving car which turned out to be a ten-year-old boy with a BB gun.

In Scarborough, a five-year-old girl was struck in the face by a pellet from a BB gun.

Officers also attended an incident in Tadcaster where youths, who were said to have semi-automatic weapons, actually had BB guns.

Mr Bagshaw said he would welcome a tightening up of the law regarding pellet-firing guns.