Firearms licensing performance falls for fourth quarter in a row

Police firearms licensing performance has fallen for the fourth consecutive quarter, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) latest quarterly data, with national service level performance edging down from 70.67% to 70.21%. The British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC) published its analysis of the figures on 8 August.

What do the new licensing figures show?

The NPCC’s Q1 2026/27 release, which covers the 12 months to 30 June 2026, tracks forces’ performance against the service level aspiration of completing applications within four months of receipt. Performance against that standard has now dipped in four successive quarters.

Temporary permits, issued to keep shooters lawfully in possession while their applications are processed, rose 11.5% on the previous quarter to 3,449, and are up 83% over the five quarters reviewed. The BSSC said in its statement that it “remains concerned that the rise in issuance of permits reflects licensing departments under stress”.

Why does the grants and renewals split matter?

This release is the first to report grants and renewals separately, a change the BSSC has welcomed, warning that “a single blended SLA figure can mask much slower performance on new applications than on renewals”. New applicants, who cannot shoot at all until a certificate is granted, are the group most exposed to long waits.

The certificate-holder base has also continued its steady decline, down 2.8% since Q3 2025/26.

What happens next

The NPCC publishes the licensing data quarterly, and the next release will show whether the four-month performance target beds in over the autumn renewal season. The full force-by-force tables are available in the NPCC’s published data, and the BSSC’s analysis is on its website.