Firearms licensing in Northern Ireland is costing the tax payer £267,000 a year with no plan to recover the additional cost of the service, an Audit Office report has discovered.
The report also found that since licence applications were to moved to an online service last year a significant backlog has developed, leaving many people effectively holding weapons without legally up to date paperwork.
There are 57,083 firearms holders in Northern Ireland with the PSNI responsible for managing the firearms licensing regime, with day to day decisions administered by the Chief Constable George Hamilton, through the Firearms and Explosives Branch (FEB).
In November 2017, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) raised a number of issues with the auditor general around the operation of the licensing system.
The BASC said delays have led to situations where license holders who had submitted applications found themselves outside the law as their license expired.
Comptroller and Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly said yesterday that the introduction of online applications for firearms licenses has "lessons for all public bodies as they seek innovation in how they deliver services".
"It is not enough to innovate, they must be able to demonstrate improved service delivery to stakeholders and citizens".
The Chief Constable has since introduced a 'holding letter' for applicants waiting for a new or renewed licence.
The audit office found the service, which should be self financing, is costing £1.6 million annually, yet recovers only £1.3 million, leaving the public to subsidise firearms licensing with no clear plan to achieve full cost recovery in the foreseeable future.
