21 firearms licences revoked in our region in last year, figures show

More shotgun licences were revoked in Thames Valley last year, new figures show.

Home Office figures reveal 77 shotgun certificates were revoked by Thames Valley Police in the year to March – up from 45 the year before.

The figures also show 21 firearm licences were nullified over the same period – up from 11 in 2022-23.

The police can revoke any individual's firearms licence if they believe they cannot be trusted with it, are a danger to the public, or no longer have a good reason to hold it.

Nationally, 1,559 shotgun certificates were revoked across England and Wales – a 34 per cent increase on 2022-23, and the highest figure since comparable records began in 2008-09.

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Meanwhile, firearm revocations also reached record levels, rising by 21 per cent to 507.

A spokesperson for the Gun Control Network said there have been six shootings in Great Britain where three or more people have died in the last 14 years, five of which were committed by licensed gun owners.

The spokesperson added: "Clearly our firearms licensing process is broken, and many bereaved and traumatised families are suffering the consequences.

"The licence fees need to increase dramatically so the police have more funding to conduct more thorough checks."

The data also shows 22,732 shotgun and 5,774 firearm certificates were active in Thames Valley as of the end of March, the equivalent of 2,465 and 970 per 100,000 people respectively.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said the police are increasingly "depriving perfectly safe people of their certificates and leaving it to the court to make the final decision".

Director of firearms Bill Harriman questioned the consistency of police forces' administration of licences following the coronavirus pandemic, adding the barriers for a "safe and responsible person" to get involved are "becoming increasingly insurmountable".