Recommendation 53

We recommend that, when approaching potential referees, applicants would be required by police to share their unique application reference numbers with those referees. This would make it simpler to report concerns about applicants to the police. Such a system would be valuable both for those who decline to give references, and for those who give references but subsequently become concerned that applicants might no longer meet the statutory guidance’s suitability requirements.137 We recommend that the UK Government raise this recommendation with the Scottish Government, during their review of statutory guidance and best practice. Length of time between renewals