Police hand gun licences back to 200 suspected violent offenders

GUNS have been returned to almost 200 suspected violent offenders in the wake of the Plymouth murders last August.

A total of 164 firearms licences were returned between 2019 and 2021, according to data obtained by the BBC from 41 UK police forces. Of those licences, 43 were given back to people accused of domestic violence. Police forces said that the individuals whose licences were returned did not meet the prosecution threshold, or any charges they faced were later dropped.

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “Coercive and controlling behaviour focuses on maintaining a climate of fear and control. When these statistics show that domestic violence or abuse was the most common reason that a licence was originally revoked, with more than a quarter of the licences given back to perpetrators, we know many survivors will be living in fear.

“Guns are a dangerous weapon... just possessing the weapon, its presence in the house, is a form of intimidation and control. Even if the chances of the perpetrator using the gun are slim, the victim of abuse will never know if or when he will use it, until the day he does. When this happens, it will be too late.

“That is why we are calling on the police and Government [to implement] a ban on returning gun licences to those accused of domestic abuse.”

The figures come after a man with a history of violence and mental health issues shot dead five people in the Devon city after his shotgun licence was returned to him. Jake Davison, 22, turned the weapon on himself following the murders.

Davison, originally issued with a shotgun licence in 2017, had it revoked in 2020 after an unprovoked assault.

He was handed it back after a probation course. The police watchdog has launched a gross misconduct investigation against the staff member responsible for issuing and returning the licence.

The Government asked England and Wales forces to review their firearms processes in the wake of the killings.

The Metropolitan Police returned the most licences, followed by West Yorkshire and Scotland.