Devon and Cornwall Police firearms licensing department split

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The Devon and Cornwall Police firearms licensing department is to be separated from the unit they shared with Dorset Police, following criticism for their failures after Jake Davison, who had had his shotgun licence returned to him by the department, killed five people in Plymouth.

A five-week inquest in the wake of the shootings saw the firearms licensing unit described as "a shambles".

Alan Barrell, the Firearms Licensing Liaison Officer for the NGO, suggests that “going back to a locally provided service has got to be good news”. On behalf of the NGO he has written to the PCC for the area, supporting the move and offering any help that we can.

After the inquiry into the Plymouth shootings found the shared Dorset, Devon and Cornwall Police’s Licensing department to be severely lacking, the force invested £4 million in the firearms licensing unit since the tragedy. We know that at least five new police officers have joined the unit, and that plans were in place for 25 new staff in total, as well as updated systems across the department.

“I have seen some much faster responses recently, indicating that the force is coming up to speed,” commented Alan Barrell. “However they are still way behind the 8-week target for renewals.”

The combined Dorset, Devon and Cornwall licensing team claim to handle more applications than any other unit in the country, meaning that a split should make the numbers more workable, thereby improve the service for those living in these areas.

There are still several forces who are struggling to deal with the number of applications for both renewals and the issuing of new licences. Currently, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Police all state on their websites that they have suspended new firearms and shotgun licence applications, except for those needed for work purposes.

The service being offered at the moment is simply not good enough. However, we are hopeful that changes to the system and to the training of firearms enquiry officers will lead to improvements across the country.