Policing Minister Chris Philp said today that £500,000 would be made available to support the development and rollout of a new national training package produced by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council. The training will become mandatory for all firearms licensing officers.
The funding proposal was included in a response to a Prevention of Future Deaths report issued by Coroner Ian Arrow, who presided over the inquests of the five people who were shot and killed in Keyham on August 12, 2021. Improving training for those who worked in firearms licensing units was one of Mr Arrow’s recommendations.
The minister also announced that there would be consultations into the fee charged for firearms licence applications and other coronial recommendations.
Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, said: “I support all steps to avoid a tragic event like the Keyham shooting from happening again. I very much welcome the Home Office’s focus on national, standardised training for firearms licensing officers, the financial commitment to support the development and rollout of this new training, and the fact that it will be mandatory.
“I also welcome the opportunity to take part in the consultations on full cost recovery for police forces firearms licensing units and on the coroner’s other recommendations. I will be providing detailed responses to these consultations and would urge others to engage in them too.”
The Home Office’s response to the Prevention of Future Deaths report can be found here.
For information on support for victims of crime in Devon and Cornwall visit Home - Victim Care Devon & Cornwall (victimcare-dc.org).