Firearms: Crime
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of shooting incidents involving people who had previously been reported as persons of concern in the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones
The Home Office collects information on offences involving firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales. We cannot tell from this information whether an offence involved people whose firearm licences were revoked, whether the firearm has been illegally possessed or whether the offence involved people who had been reported as persons of concern.
It is, of course the case that, where a shotgun or firearms licence is revoked, the firearm concerned will either be voluntarily surrendered to the police, or seized by the police, reducing the risk of illegal possession or use. Similarly, the police maintain continuous assessment of all firearms and shotguns holders and will review any licence where concerns about suitability arise. If those concerns suggest that it is unsafe for the person to continue to hold their guns, the police will take action to revoke the licence and remove the guns from the possession of the person concerned.
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