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| Plymouth shootings: Government responds to coroner's recommendations | Plymouth shootings: Government responds to coroner's recommendations |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Maxine Davison, Sophie and Lee Martyn, Kate Shepherd and Stephen Washington were killed in August 2021 | Maxine Davison, Sophie and Lee Martyn, Kate Shepherd and Stephen Washington were killed in August 2021 |
| Ministers have begun a consultation into firearms licensing but stopped short of accepting a coroner's call for "root and branch reform" after a mass shooting in Plymouth. | |
| Policing minister Chris Philp said the government would provide £500,000 for a national police training programme. | Policing minister Chris Philp said the government would provide £500,000 for a national police training programme. |
| He also announced a review of firearms licensing fees. | |
| However, two recommendations were rejected and others not immediately accepted. | |
| Jake Davison, 22, used a legally-held shotgun to kill his mother Maxine Davison, 51, and four others before shooting himself in the Keyham area of the city on 12 August 2021. | Jake Davison, 22, used a legally-held shotgun to kill his mother Maxine Davison, 51, and four others before shooting himself in the Keyham area of the city on 12 August 2021. |
| Three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, were all killed. | Three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, were all killed. |
| Ian Arrow, senior coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, had called for a major overhaul of gun laws after an inquest found "catastrophic police failings" before the shootings. | Ian Arrow, senior coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, had called for a major overhaul of gun laws after an inquest found "catastrophic police failings" before the shootings. |
| He found there had been an "abject failure" to properly train police officers and police staff in firearms licensing decisions over nearly three decades. | He found there had been an "abject failure" to properly train police officers and police staff in firearms licensing decisions over nearly three decades. |
| He said there was an "urgent need" to develop nationally-accredited training for firearms and explosive licensing staff. | He said there was an "urgent need" to develop nationally-accredited training for firearms and explosive licensing staff. |
| Jake Davison killed five people, including his mother Maxine, in the Keyham area of Plymouth | Jake Davison killed five people, including his mother Maxine, in the Keyham area of Plymouth |
| In a written statement, Mr Philp said the government was tackling the issue of police training "straight away" by providing £500,000 for a new national training programme led by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council. | In a written statement, Mr Philp said the government was tackling the issue of police training "straight away" by providing £500,000 for a new national training programme led by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council. |
| He said the training would become mandatory for police firearms licensing teams "in due course". | He said the training would become mandatory for police firearms licensing teams "in due course". |
| Cost of licences | |
| Following the inquests in January and February the coroner produced a Prevention of Future Deaths report. | |
| He said there was an "unacceptable risk" that licensing units would continue to be under-resourced unless the cost of processing an application became self-funding. | |
| The inquest heard the price of a shotgun licence was £79.50 - but the cost to police forces of processing an application could be more than £500 - which the coroner said risked "rushed and ill-informed decisions". | |
| Mr Philp said the government was reviewing firearms licensing fees to move to "full cost recovery" for the police. | |
| He said: "We intend to consult on the new fees this summer and to bring forward the necessary statutory instrument to make the fee changes later this year." | |
| Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Plymouth | Plymouth |
| Plymouth shooting inquest | Plymouth shooting inquest |
| Plymouth shooting | Plymouth shooting |