Watchdog tells Bedfordshire Police to urgently fix firearms and explosives licensing failures to protect public safety
Bedfordshire Police and two other forces have been told to fix how they deal with firearms and explosives licences after a report found “significant backlogs” in applications and renewals.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published its report today (January 9) about how Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and Hertfordshire Constabulary work together to deal with firearms and shotgun licence applications across the three counties.
The report found backlogs in the system, with some cases outstanding for “up to two years". And as a result, more than 1,000 temporary permits were given out, which need to be reviewed every six months.
HMICFRS’s report stated: “The collaboration doesn’t have enough officers and staff to address the volume of outstanding applications.”
There were 2,190 unanswered emails requiring attention from the forces, with HMICFRS saying: “The risk that might be contained within these emails was unknown. It had no plan to deal with this backlog and stay on top of email demand.”
The forces were criticised for not giving staff enough firearms licensing training “to do their jobs effectively”.
HMICFRS stated: “We found that it wasn’t complying with certification requirements for licensing certificates. It was signing off certificates without proper delegated authority (someone with assigned responsibility and accountability for firearms licensing).”
The collaboration was also found not to carry out home visits or household checks to see if there is something that could suggest the applicant isn’t suitable to have a licence.
The report read: “It doesn’t directly speak to the licence holder, other people living with them, or the referees listed on their renewal application.”
The forces were told to make improvements, including making sure all staff have the right skills and training to do their jobs properly; improve how it communicates with both staff and the public and allocate enough, sustainable resources to safely manage the unit’s workload.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Roy Wilshe, said: “I have issued an accelerated cause of concern as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire constabularies’ tri-force collaboration doesn’t effectively manage firearms and explosives licensing to keep the public safe.
“The forces must immediately prioritise firearm licensing and renewals. They need to put in place consistent policies, operating procedures, and governance structures, and this should be supported by enough resources, including officers and staff with the right skills.
“I am pleased with the forces’ immediate response to our concerns and commitment to improve. I will be closely monitoring their progress.”
Police and Crime Commissioners for the counties, John Tizard, Jonathan Ash-Edward, and Darryl Preston, issued a joint statement, saying they “fully accept the findings”.They claimed the firearms licensing has not provided a good standard of service to the public “over a prolonged period because of unacceptable systemic issues”.
The PCCs said: “Firearms licence holders, including many at the heart of our rural communities, have been let down and deserve a better service. They and the wider community rightly expect effective risk management in such a service.
“As Police and Crime Commissioners, we have been pressing for improvements on behalf of the public and scrutinising performance through our individual governance meetings with Chief Constables and through the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Strategic Board.”
They added that an action plan from the three chief constables will be sent to the board, and said that they agree with the conclusions: “They must be addressed. We and the three chief constables are committed to implementing all the recommendations from the Inspectorate robustly and as speedily as possible.”