Police changes show a 'wholly different culture' to guns, after being 'dangerously incompetent'

Police have formally apologised and told an inquest they should never have given Jake Davison a shotgun in 2017 -  and now refuse more gun applications than the national average.

Chief Superintendent Roy Linden is appearing at the ongoing inquests into the five people Davison killed in Plymouth in August 2021.

Chief Supt Linden has told the jury they should also not have returned a pump action shotgun to Davison - just weeks before the killings - because of a violent incident in a park. He accepted the jury could decide the force licensing department at the time was 'dangerously incompetent' but says changes have since been made.

CS Linden said across the 40,000 weapons licences overseen in the year there were cases of guidance 'not being applied', 'ignored' and examples which 'clearly should have been referred to a senior manager'.

He told the inquest - with hindsight - it would have been 'unlikely' a licence would have been given in 2017 had the process at the time been properly followed.

In the weeks after the attack we learnt Devon & Cornwall had looked into 123 cases of weapons being confiscated over the previous year, with 42 cases of weapons being returned and of those 12 were 'wrongly returned'.

At the time Devon & Cornwall police were less likely to refuse a gun request than other forces and the jury were today told that half of current refusals (which is currently higher than the national average) are now being lost at appeal, which means a possible 'high risk' applicant can still get a gun despite the police's initial decision.

Previously police missed the force 'firearms marker' when they initially investigated a violent attack in a Plymouth park by Davison in 2020 – which was later pointed out to them by a worker at the Pathfinder scheme where Davison was referred.

The jury were told automatic updates are now flashed up on a police computer system when anyone is involved in incidents - whether as a witness or suspect.

CS Linden said the force now operates with a 'wholly different culture' and people should 'prove to us why you should' have a gun, rather than a more 'you shall' type approach. He also explained that the joining with Dorset Police and its impact on the licensing department has been looked at.

A number of internal force procedural changes were also outlined, including closer working and examples of leadership and staff monitoring.

Searches of Davison's computer and phone revealed of the around 1-million files recovered, 57 were of a 'disturbing nature'. The jury were told police now take into account online history when making a gun licensing decision.

Yesterday it was confirmed the Home Office is looking at the cost of processing a gun licence - which is currently less than a passport application, and that doesn't include a home visit by police. It is expected that costs to apply for a licence will rise later this year to avoid what the jury were told was 'taxpayers subsiding someone's hobby' of shooting.

When asked if he would support a 'national decision matrix' being created, to ensure all forces applied the same criteria in the same manner when issuing gun licences, CS Linden said he would.

The Senior Coroner Ian Arrow has been looking at what recommendations he could make if he was to issue a 'preventing future deaths' direction in light of the case. Yesterday The Home Office said it felt the guidance was 'clear' and a national 'decision matrix' was not needed.

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