RESIDENTS have been thanked for helping to put a Nelson gunman behind bars for six years – and urged to report similar offenders in a poster campaign.

Police have paid tribute to community-spirited people in the town who helped to convict 36-year-old Haroon Rafiq earlier this year.

Rafiq, of Every Street, had a modified double-barrelled pistol with exploding bullets when officers searched the house he was lodging at.

He is now the focus of the latest round of Lancashire Police’s Behind Bars poster campaign, which aims to let neigh-bourhoods know about significant jail sentences for the county’s most dangerous criminals.

The poster for Rafiq, set to be delivered to a number of locations across Nelson, reads: “We know that this person has caused fear in your community and his actions and lifestyle affected the lives of many local residents.”

His arrest was said to be ‘thanks to you’ and details are given of the Pendle neighbourhood policing team, on 01282 472441, so people can report similar concerns.

Deputy Chief Constable Chris Weigh, who launched the Behind Bars campaign, said: “We know that the public perception of crime is higher than actual crime and that this is often compounded by them not knowing what happens to offenders in the long run.

“This offers us a new and very direct way of addressing that and helping to raise confidence that criminals are being brought to justice.”

When arrested, Rafiq told police he had been shot five times in Barrowford and needed the modified .22 calibre double-barrelled Derringer starting pistol to protect his family and land.

Rafiq was found guilty of possessing the weapon, but cleared of threatening to kill a police officer, following a Burnley Crown Court trial.

Police found the pistol in one of Rafiq’s suits, and banned ammunition, bullets designed to explode on impact, were also found in the jacket