Recommendation 16

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Spiers, Strategic Firearms Commander for Police Scotland, told us that the amount generated by the licence fee “goes only a very small way towards supporting some of the costs associated with firearms licensing”.58 Rt Hon. Chris Philp MP of the Home Office told us that “[e]ffectively the police, or the taxpayer more widely, are subsiding the provision of these licences”.59 For this reason, some (like Professor Peter Squires, Professor Emeritus of Criminology and Public Policy at the University of Brighton) have suggested that individuals applying for, and renewing, licences should pay the full cost of processing licences and renewals.60 Professor Squires stated that: “a full-cost licensing system, borne by shooters themselves, would enable police to devote the appropriate resources to firearm licensing and make many of the improvements (proactive and ongoing monitoring, unannounced visits, improved technology, better liaison with health agencies and wider stakeholders) that the licensing system needs”.61 The Minister told us that work is “ongoing”62 at the Home Office to “get the fees into a better place where forces are recovering the cost of running this service”.63 Currently, there is no difference in cost for those who require firearms licences for work (like gamekeepers) and those who require licences in order to shoot for pleasure. 51 Police Scotland, Firearms and shotguns, accessed 13 September 2022 52 Q145 53 Q194 54 “Gun licence delays lead to police visit for farmer”, The Packet, 19 February 2022 55 Sporting Shooter, Guidance on firearms licensing - to pay the GP or not to pay the GP?, accessed 28 November 2022 56 Politics.co.uk, Firearms licensing inconsistencies “are symptomatic of wider police failures”, accessed 13 September 2022 57 Politics.co.uk, Firearms licensing inconsistencies “are symptomatic of wider police failures”, accessed 13 September 2022 58 Q146 59 Q206 60 Professor Peter Squires (FLR0007) 61 Professor Pete