Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police firearms units are being separated, following a survey.

Dorset police and crime commissioner (PCC) David Sidwick said: “I wish to thank the people of Dorset who contributed to the survey, which we conducted with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) in the autumn of last year.

“The outcome of that survey gave a clear indication that the people who took part wanted firearms licensing to return to Dorset.

“This change, which will take place this autumn, will bring about greater local control and accountability, and more flexibility to deal with the needs of local communities.

“Both I and the chief constable believe that bringing back separate units will result in an improved service to the Dorset public and businesses.”

Alison Hernandez, PCC for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, added: “I would like to thank all those who took the time to give us their views via the survey. It gave us a clear indication there was a desire for dedicated firearms licensing units for each force.”

Martin Parker, head of firearms at BASC commented to Shooting UK:  “We are pleased that our members could assist with this. We have offered support  and will do anything we can to do help things to run more efficiently. ”

BASC firearms licensing figures published in 2022 showed that in Devon & Cornwall the average turn-around time for a firearms certificate was 102 days, rising to 119 days in Dorset.

At present, work continues on clearing the overdue licence and certificate renewals and grants, say the PCCs.