by Deborah Hadfield and Charlie Jacoby
Many shooters have lost their guns to police in the South-West of England since the shooting in Plymouth in August last year. Some are appealing and fighting to get their firearms back. For Peter Cook from Ashton in Cornwall, it’s too late as police admit they have destroyed his shotgun.
The fisherman has been shooting since he was a child with his grandfather and father. Peter has fond memories of shooting with the gun which was passed down from his grandfather to his father, then to him. Four years ago, when he got divorced he was asked to surrender it to the Cambourne police station. Peter was advised he didn’t need a special cover to carry it on the street. When he carried the single barrel .410 to the station it was closed. He found off-duty police offer and insisted he take the gun. Since then, Peter has been trying to get the family heirloom back.
Peter was upset when Devon & Cornwall Constabulary told him they had destroyed it. The police apologised and offered him compensation. Peter says: “It’s absolutely terrible. I think it’s ridiculous under the circumstances. They don’t even seem to know what they’ve done or why they’ve done it or who authorised it. They’ve offered me £200.”
Even if £200 is nowhere near the guns value to Peter, this is the first indication that Devon & Cornwall Constabulary is prepared to offer compensation for confiscated guns. The bill to the taxpayer is likely to run into hundreds of thousands, with a similar amount from the police budget or legal costs.
Peter is sad that Devon & Cornwall police have made him such a low offer as he has spent more than £200 in postage costs. He knows he can never replace his family gun. Peter is determined to push for more compensation now the police have apologised he wants them to make him a fair offer. He says: “I put in a claim for £5,000, which may be a bit over the top, but I don’t know how you a value on something like that. And I just didn’t want the money I just wanted my property returned to me.”
Many other shooters have a fight on their hands to get the police to return their guns or have licences reinstated. Field Sports Channel will be following the appeals at courts in Devon and Cornwall.
More of our Devon & Cornwall police gun grab coverage:

Firearms licensing: the police view – FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 78
Three firearms licensing officers came to the stage of the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre in July 2023 to make the case to Charlie Jacoby

Breakdown in Devon & Cornwall gun licensing puts businesses at risk
youtu.be/c-VlnQpCK0Q With police firearms licensing across Devon, Cornwall and Dorset in meltdown, local country and gun shops are having to diversify. Martin and Chris Lamb

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youtu.be/EjbfeeA0utk With the firearms licensing system in crisis, barrister Nick Doherty fears there’s an increased risk of a tragic incident. Nick, who wrote The Firearms

BASC firearms licensing overhaul
youtu.be/GCi5JQRX0Sc by Deborah Hadfield It’s time to scrap the existing gun certificate system across England and Wales and replace it with another. That’s the conclusion

The Metropolitan Police’s head of firearms licensing – FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 62
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfCT4_dvQQ4 There are 30,000 legal gun-owners in London. Chris Downs, head of SCO 19 at the Met, and Daryn Hufton-Rees from Medcert, which provides medical

Police delay firearms licensing as livestock and wildlife suffer
by Deborah Hadfield Daniel Holmes from Bodmin Moor in Cornwall submitted his gun certificates renewal applications on January 2022. His firearms and shotguns certificates were

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by Charlie Jacoby You can see the relief on Gary Ivey’s face. Until eight months ago, he had been a firearm certificate holder. He was

Gun licensing shambles in England
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyR1vxdXE6U by Deborah Hadfield The firearms licensing system in England and Wales is in crisis. Shooters claim the fiasco has made getting a grant, renewal,

Police gun grabs: a former Met detective advises…
by Deborah Hadfield and Charlie Jacoby Former Metropolitan police detective Ian Jensen says police have limited legal rights to take a gun. He says: “The

Gun grab victim: a serving police officer writes…
A serving police officer wrote this for Fieldsports News on condition of anonymity I, too, have been duped into coercively handing over my legally and

Police offer compensation to gun grab victim
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xkgjLhVB4 by Deborah Hadfield and Charlie Jacoby Many shooters have lost their guns to police in the South-West of England since the shooting in Plymouth

Paul Cox: Devon & Cornwall gun grab victim
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEctbsFPXbA by Deborah Hadfield and Charlie Jacoby Paul Cox is a respected member of his community, a deerstalker and captain of the local shoot. Devon