Alan,
In November 1993, the Government agreed to allow 1000 Bosnian men who had been detained in Bosnian Serb camps to come to the UK with their families (a total of 4,000). The Refugee Council, together with the British Red Cross set up a programme to receive and settle Bosnian refugees. Reception centres were established in various parts of the UK responsible for the initial accommodation and welfare of the refugees prior to the move into more independent living arrangements. In 1995, a further 500 Bosnian refugees were offered temporary refuge in the UK, plus some 20 medical evacuees. The majority of refugees from Bosnia did not arrive under the 'programme'. Around 14,000 Bosnians applied for asylum independently after the war in Bosnia broke out.

Violent events in Kosovo at the beginning of 1999 led to the largest exodus of refugees of the decade. Some 900,000 people were forcibly expelled from Kosovo. As part of a contingency plan, the UK government asked the Refugee Council and its three partner agencies, the British Red Cross, Refugee Action and the Scottish Refugee Council, to organise a reception programme for Kosovar evacuees

Most of the guns from Bosnia will have been brought in by the thousands of refugees who now live here.