West Mercia and Dyfed Powys police included in watchdog's gun danger warning
Britain faces new gun massacres unless the chaotic firearms licensing regime is overhauled – including tackling problems at West Mercia and Dyfed Powys police forces, a watchdog has warned.
The public are at risk because of a litany of failures and inconsistencies in the way prospective and existing gun owners are vetted and monitored, inspectors found.
In a highly critical report, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said lessons have not been learned in the wake of tragedies such as the killing of 12 people by taxi driver Derrick Bird in Cumbria in 2010.
They highlighted weaknesses in arrangements for assessing an individual's medical suitability to have a firearms licence, saying they are less rigorous than the checks conducted on prospective bus drivers.
Investigators also found gun owners were illegally allowed to keep using their weapons because of application backlogs and nearly half of all 43 forces in England and Wales fail to contact referees listed by new applicants.
The report said both West Mercia Police and Dyfed Powys Police had "backlogs of work" in their firearms licensing departments. HM Inspector of Constabulary Stephen Otter, who led the inspection, said forces are "sometimes inexcusably compromising public safety" by failing to follow government guidance.
He said: "Firearms licensing is not an area which police forces can afford to get wrong. Lessons from past tragedies have not always been learnt and this fails the victims of those events, including their families, unacceptably. Unless things change, we run the risk of further tragedies."
HMIC highlighted "fundamental gaps" in the system for checking the health of an applicant. Amanda Blakeman, temporary Assistant Chief Constable for West Mercia Police, said: "Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police welcome the firearms licensing report.
"It highlights the many positive aspects of the work undertaken by both forces in this important area and has enabled us to put in place additional methods and processes that will assist us, and those applying for firearms grants and renewals.
"These steps will strengthen and enhance the safe and legal use of firearms across the four counties."
