Warwickshire and West Mercia Police announce licensing changes

A series of changes to the process for firearms licensing has been unveiled by the Warwickshire and West Mercia Police forces.

The changes will fall under the new fully integrated Warwickshire and West Mercia Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit, which aims to be up and running by 30 September.

The unit, to be based in Malvern, will be responsible for providing the licensing for 48,000 firearms holders.

The following changes are to take immediate effect:

? Licence holders will be required to provide medical reports when relevant at the point of application. Any fees incurred will need to be met by the licence holder at the point of application.

? As part of the assessment process an interview may be conducted via telephone with the licence applicant.

? Improved web pages on both force websites now offer the licence applicant detailed advice and the ability to download their licence application. Visited www.westmercia.police.uk or www.warwickshire.police.uk.