Recurring concern

Unreliable firearms licensing decisions

First to latest report 21 Oct 2013 — 16 Dec 2025

Reports that mention this concern
3
Times this concern has been raised
3
Stated actions linked to this concern
6

What this concern includes

Includes failures in the named firearms licensing decision process that undermine reliable suitability decisions, including independence and transparency safeguards, receipt and checking of relevant prosecution or risk information, competent decision-making, and appropriate review of current or former police employees and other applicants.

What is not included
  • Excludes firearm storage, handling, operational-use and shooting-practice failures where the firearms licensing decision process is not deficient.
  • Excludes generic police governance, training or information-sharing deficiencies unless they directly impair a firearms licensing suitability or decision process.
  • Excludes clinical assessment or treatment of licence holders where the licensing authority's decision process is not the unsafe condition.
  • Excludes failures concerning unrelated weapons, explosives or licensing regimes.
  • Excludes the existing narrower concern concerning firearms licensing risk assessment and information sharing when the assertion is confined to that information-control process and does not support the broader decision-reliability condition.

Reports and published responses 3 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. Devon, Plymouth and Torbay

    AI-generated summary

    Richard Haddock · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Richard Haddock died on 25 June 2023 after using his shotgun. The report identified concerns that the police process failed to notify the Firearms Licensing Department of an Environment Agency prosecution, and that the Department had not checked his PNC record before returning his firearms. The inquest conclusion was suicide.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure of the Firearms Licensing Department to check the PNC record

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) The police process which should have ensured that the Firearms Licensing Department was notified of the Environment Agency’s prosecution of Mr. Haddock failed to be effective (2) The offences with which Mr. Haddock had been charged by the Environment Agency were correctly placed onto Mr. Haddock’s PNC record on 11th October 2021 – a year before the final decision was made to return his shotgun to him in November 2022. The Firearms Licensing Department had not checked his PNC record since 4th August 2021 (more than a year before the final decision to return his guns was made) and were therefore unaware of the prosecution. ”

    Source location

    Richard Haddock · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Automatically redirect firearms-related Daily Activity File reports to the Continuous Assessment Team inbox for ongoing suitability review.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “Whenever a PNC record is updated, a so-called Daily Activity File (DAF) report is generated and provided to the relevant police force via an automatic file transfer from PNC Hendon. Any DAF reports that are specific to firearm and shotgun certificate holders in the Devon & Cornwall Police area are assigned a code of ‘50HL’ and forwarded to our Firearms Licensing and Explosives Unit (FLEU) via email.”

    Source location

    Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
    Page 2 · response
    Published 19 December 2025

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Require the Continuous Assessment Team to review relevant prosecution reports and record the review as underway in the National Firearms Licensing Management System.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “• Any DAF reports which reflect a prosecution of the type that Mr Haddock was subject to are subject to a suitability review by the CAT. The National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) is updated to reflect that this review is underway. The NFLMS is viewable by all police forces and other law enforcement agencies.”

    Source location

    Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
    Page 2 · response
    Published 19 December 2025

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Require an immediate pre-return PNC check after finalising a suitability review, with a further review if relevant new information is identified.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “• When a suitability review is finalised and a decision is made to return a certificate / licence and firearms to the certificate / licence holder, the CAT are also now required to review the PNC to ensure that it contains no new updates of relevance. If any such updates are identified, a further suitability review takes place.”

    Source location

    Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
    Page 3 · response
    Published 19 December 2025

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Allocate additional police personnel to the Firearms Licensing and Explosives Unit to increase review capacity.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “In 2021 there was a significant backlog of outstanding reviews in the FLEU as a result of both the Covid-19 pandemic adversely impacting on the FLEU’s ability to undertake related enquiries, and the Devon & Cornwall Police response to the tragic events of August 2021 in Keyham in Plymouth, which you will be aware of. A significant additional number of police personnel have since been allocated to the FLEU, and there is significant additional senior oversight of the FLEU within Devon & Cornwall Police. In general terms, there has been a significant improvement in the FLEU’s ability to undertake reviews of the type that we are concerned with presently. More specifically in relation to the concern that you raise, the following processes are now in place:”

    Source location

    Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
    Page 3 · response
    Published 19 December 2025

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Check the PNC and other databases during initial suitability-review enquiries.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “1. The FLEU undertake a check on the PNC as a part of their initial enquiries in the aforementioned suitability reviews. More generally, suitability reviews encompass research of other databases.”

    Source location

    Response from Devon & Cornwall Police
    Page 3 · response
    Published 19 December 2025

    Open published response

  2. Wiltshire and Swindon

    AI-generated summary

    William Howard DOWLING and Victoria Elaine ROSE · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    On 2 March 2013, William Howard Dowling shot Victoria Elaine Rose twice in the head before shooting himself in the head. The report raised concerns about information sharing between general practitioners and firearms licensing authorities, the wider public-safety implications of confidentiality, and the independence and transparency of firearms licensing decisions involving current or former police employees.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of independent and transparent firearms licensing decisions for current or former police employees

    Wider context from the report

    “(3) I am also concerned as regards decisions being made relating to firearms licensing in respect of current employees within that licensing organisation’s (ie the Police) employment or even former employees. Licensing and the determination of such matters should be seen to be transparent and independent. In evidence although relating to matters some 16 years previously there were issues raised by family concerning complaints by Mr Dowling’s ex wife at the time they were getting divorced that appeared to have been “brushed under the carpet” by the police in respect of which Bill was a serving officer. In any event those concerns were not dealt with satisfactorily from the complainant’s perspective. I am concerned that to have a firearms licensing authority dealing with applications from existing police employees or even former employees of that police force is open to possible abuse. Bill Dowling was an exceptionally well known and respected former police employee and my concern is that such matters relative to firearms are so serious that consideration ought to be given to introducing an independent layer so as to ensure independence and transparency. ”

    Source location

    William Howard DOWLING and Victoria Elaine ROSE · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

  3. County Durham and Darlington

    AI-generated summary

    Robert Wilkinson · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Robert Wilkinson, a firearms and shotgun certificate holder with a terminal illness, intentionally took his own life using one of his firearms the day after being discharged from hospital. The report raised concerns that there had been no face-to-face meeting with him before the decision to revoke his certificates and that the revocation letter had not been personally served, meaning he retained access to the firearm used.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to conduct face-to-face meetings with certificate holders when making revocation decisions

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) As part of the process leading to the decision to revoke, although there had been contact with the deceased/his family/medical practitioner, there had not been a face to face meeting between a member of the firearms licensing team and the deceased. Such a meeting would have provided better quality of information to enable those considering the issue of revocation to have made the decision on the best possible information. ”

    Source location

    Robert Wilkinson · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Include value-adding face-to-face meetings with certificate holders in the structured firearms licensing review process.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “1. The benefit of a face to face meeting between a certificate holder and a member of the Firearms Licensing Team. I acknowledge that such a meeting could provide better quality of information to enable more informed decision making. Indeed I am aware that Chief Inspector ████████ acknowledged this point in his evidence before you, on the 18th October 2013. I would confirm that when such a meeting”

    Source location

    2013-0269-Response-by-Durham-Constabulary
    Page 1 · response
    Published 21 October 2013

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    A face-to-face meeting is not considered necessary where it would add no value to a firearms certificate refusal or revocation.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “would add value to any review of a shotgun/firearms certificate holder then this will be undertaken and now forms part of the structured review process. I would add that it is important that such a meeting should have a specific aim in view of the numbers of reviews currently undertaken by Durham Constabulary.”

    Source location

    2013-0269-Response-by-Durham-Constabulary
    Page 2 · response
    Published 21 October 2013

    Open published response

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026