Police Forces Implement Partner Interviews in Gun Licensing Process
Five police forces across England and Wales have initiated a pilot program where partners of gun licence applicants are being interviewed as part of the application process.
The forces involved in this pioneering initiative—Gwent, the Metropolitan Police, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire—are implementing a specialised questionnaire designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of potential gun owners, with an emphasis on identifying risks of domestic abuse.
The project, dubbed Project Titanium, was conceived by Gwent Police and developed with input from survivors of domestic abuse.
Insp Jodie Davies of Gwent Police’s firearms licensing team elaborated on the objectives of the initiative. “We are absolutely not saying applicants will be domestic abuse perpetrators, but any opportunity to gather information is welcome,” she stated. The initiative has proven impactful already, with some applications being declined or existing licences revoked based on the insights gained through the new questionnaire.
“We’ve had one case where the partner was contacted and stated that she couldn’t speak to the firearms officer at her home because she was being controlled and coerced,” Insp Davies revealed. Following this disclosure, the officer arranged a private meeting with the partner at an alternate location where she voiced several serious concerns. Subsequently, the applicant’s license was denied, and appropriate protective measures were instituted for the individual involved.
Some voices from within the gun trade have suggested that the process opens up private matters to scrutiny by authorities without sufficient justification, particularly if the partner’s perspective is biased or their relationship is strained.
Questions could also be raised about the effectiveness and fairness of relying partly on partner testimonies to assess an applicant’s suitability for gun ownership. Opponents may contend that such an approach could lead to decisions based on subjective and potentially inaccurate information, rather than objective criteria. This method could be misused in cases of contentious separations or divorces, where one partner might provide negative information as a form of retaliation. This could lead to unjust denials of licenses based on personal disputes rather than actual risks.