West Midlands Police has been criticised after it allowed seven and eight-year-old children to use replica guns at a firing range.

A Year 3 class from Kings Norton Primary in Birmingham were pictured aiming the fake, plastic weapons during a school trip to a police base.

The school said the trip was to help pupils understand why more police officers are on the streets.

However, some parents said they were a "bit horrified" by the photograph of their children using fake firearms.

On Facebook, Lyn Turner wrote: "I'm not comfortable with this at all. Primary school kids?


Image: The children had written to the police following recent terror attacks in the UK

"Parents don't like buying toy guns let alone showing them real ones. Not sure about this at all."

But Claire Milliner, a parent of one of children on the trip, wrote: "Thank you for taking the time out to spend with our children, normalise police presence and make them feel safer."

The police force had opened its doors to the class as a way of thanking pupils who had written to officers following recent terror attacks.

Image: A thank you letter written to the police

The children were also given the chance to dress up in riot gear, talk to officers about their jobs and see police sirens in action.

Dawn Chapman, the school's deputy head, said: "After the awful events in Manchester and London we were talking in class about how to stay safe and who protects us.

"Many of the children had said how they'd seen more police in Birmingham and officers carrying guns.

What do parents think of firing range visit?

"We wanted to stress to them that they shouldn't feel scared and that the officers were there to keep people safe."

Sergeant Mike Dunbar, of Birmingham Police, added that "the last thing we want" is for children to be scared of police, or to see officers as an "intimidating authority figure".

He said: "You can see from the photos and from the looks on the kids' faces on the day that they all had a wonderful time.

"They were our VIPs for the day and it was a pleasure to host them."