Joint Police and Crime Commissioners’ statement on the HMICFRS Firearms inspection report

“As Police and Crime Commissioners for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, we fully accept the findings of this report and welcome the independent and detailed scrutiny of His Majesty’s Inspectorate, which assists us in our role to hold the police to account on behalf of the public.  

 

“The firearms licensing function has not provided a good standard of service to the public over a prolonged period because of unacceptable systemic issues. We have been consistently transparent about this with our communities and recognise the significant impact this continues to have for licence holders and applicants. Firearms licence holders, including many at the heart of our rural communities, have been let down and deserved a better service. They and the wider community rightly expect effective risk management in such a service. 

 

“As Police and Crime Commissioners, we have been pressing for improvements on behalf of the public and scrutinising performance through our individual governance meetings with Chief Constables and through the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Strategic Board.

 

“On Monday, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the BCH Strategic Board, which will receive an action plan from the three Chief Constables. They have strengthened leadership and management, as well as the governance of the service. However, we know more needs to be done to improve service levels and effectively manage risk.  

 

“The Inspectorate’s report recognises that there needs to be a step change in the amount of resources deployed but fundamentally major changes are needed in culture, leadership, timeliness, processes, communication and risk management. We agree with these conclusions. They must be addressed. We and the three Chief Constables are committed to implementing all the recommendations from the Inspectorate robustly and as speedily as possible.

 

“We will want reassurance that the action plan addresses all the recommendations raised in the HMICFRS report, particularly those relating to risk. We will be monitoring implementation and outcomes and holding the Chief Constables to account for a step change in performance and customer service.”

 

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire

 

John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire

 

Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire