Firearms officer stored surrendered guns at home

Investigation uncovers misconduct

A Firearms Enquiry Officer has admitted taking surrendered guns home, raising fresh concerns about the integrity of firearms licensing at a time when the Government is proposing sweeping reforms to the system.

Alan Sharp, 52, pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to three charges under the Firearms Act and one of wilful neglect of police duty after investigators found shotguns and rifle components at his home that should have been destroyed.

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How the case unfolded

The case centres on firearms Mr Sharp took into custody during 2021 whilst working in the Firearms and Explosive Licensing Unit in Perth. In January, he took possession of rifle component parts and firearm barrels surrendered under a government scheme at Kinross police station.

Ten months later, in November, the officer attended the home of a certificate holder who had decided not to renew his shotgun licence due to old age. Mr Sharp collected six shotguns, assuring the man they would be kept in a “safe holding area” before being transported to Glasgow for destruction.

But when an investigation was launched in July 2022 over concerns about Mr Sharp’s failure to carry out proper reference checks on applicants, a far more serious issue came to light.

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Firearms found in secure cabinet

Officers seizing Mr Sharp’s own shotgun certificate discovered all six guns – still in working order – stored in a secure cabinet at his Fife home. The rifle components from January were also found at the property. Internal records showed all these items had been officially listed as “destroyed”. Officers also recovered 1,919 bullets in 17 different calibres.

There was no record of Mr Sharp having signed out or removed any of the firearms from police custody. He told investigators he had received an “instruction” that firearms were not to be stored at Kinross police station and claimed he did not have time to move them to an armoury before starting annual leave.

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Widespread falsified checks

The investigation further revealed systemic failures in Mr Sharp’s work. On 75 occasions, mandatory checks had not been carried out, yet had been “falsely entered” as completed on application forms. Mr Sharp admitted not contacting all referees, citing “work related stress and time constraints”, and claimed it was not “necessary” to conduct checks if he knew people involved personally.

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Reaction to the case

Stuart Farr, partner at Harrison Drury solicitors, told Shooting Times: “The court case is still ongoing, but reports such as these only serve to undermine public confidence in Firearms departments across the country.

“This comes at a time when root and branch reforms to firearms licensing are being proposed. After years of criticism and patchy performance, it will no doubt beg the question whether any of those proposals would be necessary if the licensing authorities were demonstrably effective. As this case suggests, those without sin…”

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Next steps

Judge Lord Armstrong remanded Mr Sharp in custody and warned he could face a minimum five-year prison sentence. The case was adjourned until 8 December in Edinburgh.