CUMBRIA’S chief constable has defended the way his force deals with gun licensing following a report highlighting failings. 

Jerry Graham said this was one of the few departments that had not lost staff in the wake of budget cuts, adding it stayed this way due to the dangers involved. 

The county force was said to have put the public at increased risk of harm, with problems including not reviewing licence holders and failing to flag up the presence of guns to officers. 

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), speaking about the national picture, also said lessons had not been learned in the wake of tragedies such as the west Cumbria shootings. 

Taxi driver Derrick Bird left 12 dead and 11 injured during a killing spree in 2010, which ended when he turned a gun on himself. Cumbria’s force was one of a number to have failings pointed out. 

Mr Graham spoke about the report at a meeting of senior crime-fighting figures, held at the county’s police headquarters, near Penrith. 

He said: “The context of this in Cumbria is a sensitive one because of the west Cumbria shootings. 

“If you look at firearms licensing in the county it is one of the few areas that has not lost a single member of staff over the last five years. 

“That is not by fluke, it is a very high risk area. 

“I remain firmly of the view we have a good firearms licensing capability in Cumbria.” 

Police chiefs previously said the force was aware of “some issues” following the inspection and immediate action was taken, adding recommendations would be implemented. 

The findings were revealed following checks of the effectiveness of firearms licensing across England and Wales. The report said Cumbria was one of three out of 11 inspected areas that failed to put in place safeguards based around assessments of its licensing department. 

In a separate part of the investigation, seven forces introduced processes that meant every incident linked to a licence holder or their house was automatically flagged. But the other four forces, including Cumbria, had a “less effective” system and “it was not being applied” every time. 

In Cumbria inspectors reviewed five domestic abuse incidents. Relevant checks had only been completed in two of them. 

On the positive side, Cumbria Police contacted reference providers and automatically undertook home visits during licence renewals. 

Officers also went to country shows where they could “interact” with certificate holders.