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Cops to check gun-owners social media profiles before handing out licences in wake of Plymouth shooting

2021-08-16 00:00:00.0 太阳报-英国新闻原网页

COPS will be forced to check gun-owners social media profiles before the hand out licences in the wake of the Plymouth shooting

And every police force has been ordered to review the way they hand out gun licences in the wake of the Plymouth shooting.

A review over the distribution of fire-arms licenses is set to take place after the actions of Jake Davison 4

Devon and Cornwall chief constable Shaun Sawyer admitted his force feared invading the 22-year-old’s privacy Credit: Getty

It comes after cops failed to trawl through Jake Davison’s online activity before giving back the gun he then used to kill five people.

Devon and Cornwall chief constable Shaun Sawyer admitted his force feared invading the 22-year-old’s privacy.

He said: “We take and return firearms on a not irregular basis when people have emotional crises or we receive reports from family members, then they can be returned.

“What we don’t do, because firearms licencing is a lawful thing, is trawl the internet looking at people’s lives. That’s an invasion of privacy.”

But today, as a matter of urgency, we are asking the police to review their practices and whether any existing licences need to be looked at again.

Davison’s pump-action shotgun was handed back last month.

He shot dead five people, including his mother and three-year-old Sophie Martyn, and injured two others in Plymouth, Devon, on Thursday before killing himself.

Ministers are preparing to publish legal guidance, which will level the decision-making playing field across the nation.

A Home Office source said: “Incidents such as Thursday’s horrific events in Plymouth are thankfully rare, but their impact is profound, not only on those directly affected but on the public as a whole.

'HORRIFIC EVENTS'

“We constantly assess what sensible and proportionate steps we can take to help prevent such terrible loss of life happening again.

“We are bringing forward new guidance to improve how people applying for a firearms licence are assessed in future, including social media checks.

“But today, as a matter of urgency, we are asking the police to review their practices and whether any existing licences need to be looked at again.

“This will help reassure people that all necessary checks have been made to keep them safe.”

The UK has some of the toughest firearms controls in the world and the Government say they keep them under constant review.

Chief constable Shaun Sawyer, home secretary Priti Patel and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard lay flowers at the scene Credit: AFP 4

Lee Martyn and his daughter Sophie were gunned down by Davison as they were out for a walk Credit: Tim Stewart