Chief attacks register delay

Merseyside Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe, has criticised the failure to introduce a national firearms register, as promised following the Dunblane massacre.

Speaking almost a decade after Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 children and their teacher, Mr Hogan-Howe joined the parents of the victims in speaking out against the delay.

Speaking on the Jonathan Dimbleby television programme, he said that while there had been great progress in gun control, a national register should not take more than 10 years to set up.

“I understand that they’ve had two pilots and we’re told that there are IT problems to actually resolving it, but I believe now, 10 years on, is too long,” said Mr Hogan-Howe.

“We want it, there’s certainly no resistance from the police service to have it, and clearly what we do need is a register of all the people with a license. We certainly need a register of those people who have applied for a license and had it refused because the danger is they apply to one force, fail, and then re-apply to another.”

His criticism comes after the Home Office admitted it will be at least February next year before the database, which will contain information regarding anyone who has ever applied for a gun license, is up and running in the UK.