Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 92
92
Accepted in Part
Presently, there is no formal channel by which shooting organisations may raise concerns about their...
Recommendation
Presently, there is no formal channel by which shooting organisations may raise concerns about their members with the police. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Spiers, Strategic Firearms Commander for Police Scotland, noted that, at the moment, “[t]here is a great responsibility placed on shooting organisations and clubs to highlight concerns”225 of their own accord. Additionally, with no official channel, the current arrangement relies 217 Q18 218 Q59 219 Q19 220 Q221 221 Q51 222 Q50 223 Q51 224 Q52 225 Q123 Firearms licensing regulations in Scotland 29 on individuals who have connections with police forces - like Fraser Lamb (formerly Head of Firearms Licensing for Police Scotland), who “because of my police service and intelligence background, know[s] how to sanitise that and to pass it on to the police so that they can turn it into whatever executive action is required”.226 An official channel for all members of any shooting organisation would mean that individuals could express their concerns to police more quickly and easily.
Government Response Summary
The government is consulting on 'buddy' initiatives and intends to highlight the revised role for gun club liaison officers, and explore whether this model might be applied more widely to other shooting clubs.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The UK Government is consulting on the recommendation made by the Committee in relation to ‘buddy’ initiatives. The Home Office has already been working with representatives of the police and shooting representative bodies to bring greater definition to the role of gun club liaison officers for a similar purpose. Gun clubs wishing to allow target shooting by members who do not hold a personal firearm certificate are only allowed to do so if approved by the Home Office in England and Wales, or by the Scottish Government in the case of clubs in Scotland. We are now intending to work with the police and shooting bodies to highlight the revised role for gun club liaison officers, and then explore whether and how this model might be applied more widely to other shooting clubs.