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Firearms: Licensing

Asked by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-BrownConservativeHome OfficeTabled Answered 24 March 2025UIN 37980

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data on the performance of firearms licensing departments her Department has received in each of the last three years.

Answered by Dame Diana Johnson

The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and they are held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners.

However, the performance of forces is actively being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and he is developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams, which it is intended will be published soon, to provide greater transparency on application turnaround times.

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