FOI 408-2025 / Apr 2025 / Firearms
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 408-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 7th April 2025 as follows:
I would like to request information under the Freedom of Information Act concerning the issuing of firearms certificates and inspections over the past five years.
Q1. I would like to know the number of firearms certificates issued over the past five years.
Q2. The number of new certificates issued.
Q3. The number of inspections. Can I have this broken down to inspections of new firearms certificate applications and renewal applications.
Q4. Can I have figures for the number of applications and refusals.
Q5. Also, could I have information on the number of firearms offences investigated by your force where the weapon was legally held (or had a firearms certificate).
Q6. Can i also find out the number of legally held firearms reported stolen over that period.
Q7. Can you break down the number of firearms held by type?
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: Please be advised that some of the requested information is not centrally recorded and is therefore not held in a readily retrievable format. Regarding Q3, the business area has advised that in order to determine a response it would be necessary to individually review all records relating to firearms certificates, both where a certificate was issued and where it was refused. A breakdown of the figures (which also provides responses to Q1, Q2, and Q4), and an estimate of the time/cost involved in providing the response to Q3 is set out below:
Firearms certificates issued and refused over the past 5 years (between 14th April 2020 and 13th April 2025):
|
Certificate |
Renewals |
Grants |
Refusals |
Total |
|
Shotgun |
4715 |
1554 |
353 |
6622 |
|
Firearm |
1859 |
649 |
121 |
2629 |
|
Grand Total |
6574 |
2203 |
474 |
9251 |
9,251 records @ 3 minutes per record to review = 463 hours
463 hours @ £25 per hour = £11,575.00
Therefore, the work involved in determining the information requested at Q3 exceeds the cost threshold (£450), which equates to 18 hours work at a standard rate of £25 per hour, as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
Regarding Q5 and Q6, there is no specific identifier within the crime recording system to locate the requested information relating to legally own firearms. Therefore, it would be necessary to individually review the investigation reports for all firearm and theft related offences recorded over the past 5 years. Such searches would also exceed the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e., the cost of locating and retrieving the information requested at Q5 and Q6 exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. For Police forces in the UK, the "appropriate limit" is up to 18 hours of work on one request.
In accordance with Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for these parts of the request, and, if any part of a request exceeds the fees limit, then Section 12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to refining your request; however, due to the volume of records that would need to be reviewed, I am unable to suggest a way to revise these parts of the request into ones that could be provided within the fees limit. I can advise that it may be possible to provide some information for Q7, should you wish to revise and resubmit a request for this part, however, please note that this information would be subject to the usual disclosure considerations.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB