Bedfordshire PCC writes to Home Secretary urging changes to gun laws

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard has written to the Home Secretary to request an urgent review on firearms licensing following the ease at which triple killer Nicholas Prosper was able to buy a shotgun.

The then 18-year-old bought the weapon from a registered firearms holder using a fake certificate. Within 24 hours, the offender had murdered three family members with the shotgun at the home they shared in Leabank, Luton.

Detectives later discovered he had planned to carry out a mass shooting at a nearby primary school but had been stopped after police officers noticed him acting erratically. He pleaded guilty to the murders of his mother Juliana Falcon, 47, and his siblings Kyle, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13.  

The investigation concluded that the person who sold the shotgun to Prosper had not committed any offences.

Mr Tizard has written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to request a review of legislation, suggesting a change to the current law which gives vendors seven days to notify the police service of the sale and exchange.

In the letter he said: “This case has exposed a major system failure and some serious shortcomings in the current law.

“I believe that new legislation is needed to ensure public safety and to restore confidence in firearms licencing policy and process when firearms are sold or exchanged.

“I believe that one viable option would be for anyone wishing to purchase a firearm to provide documented confirmation from the police service that they have a legitimate entitlement to own a firearm, as well as proof of identity to the vendor. This confirmation needs to be shared by the police with the vendor ahead of sale and exchange.

“It is clear to me that there should be a national database of firearm licence holders or the ability of police services to be able to interrogate each other’s databases.”

He added: “My request to you is for the sale and exchange of firearms to be reviewed as a matter of urgency and for new regulations to be introduced.

“I hope that this might be addressed quickly by secondary legislation, and should primary legislation be required that this could be included in the current Crime and Policing Bill.”

Talking about the case, the PCC said: “Whilst Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire constabularies are taking measures to help legitimate firearms holders spot potentially fraudulent licences and be cautious about sales, there is an urgent need for legislative change.

“The public rightly would expect stringent and effective safeguards to be in place to better regulate the issuing of licences, and gun sales and exchanges, particularly when the vendor is a private individual, in order to keep us all safe.”