Plymouth cops return guns to their owners over fears of being SUED, claims ex-firearms officer after incel massacre - as police face calls to trawl social media of those applying for licence
Guns seized by Devon and Cornwall Police are returned to the owners amid fears of being sued, an ex-firearms licensing officer has claimed after the Plymouth shooting.
The ex-official, who asked not to be named, said 'nothing was ever done' about security concerns with armed residents.
They claimed the police solicitor was worried about being sued over a licence revocation - which meant weapons were passed back to the holder.
It comes as urgent questions are being asked of the force over why incel shooter Jake Davison had a gun licence and was given it back following an alleged assault.
Devon and Cornwall Police admitted last night it did not do any web checks on the 22-year-old - who killed five people on Thursday - before handing back his shotgun.
Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said officers feared invading his privacy if they looked at his social media.
But a former Met Police chief blasted the idea, saying police should trawl through people's posts so 'guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people'.
Former commissioner Lord Stevens said Davison's disturbing videos on YouTube 'should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence'.
The ex-official claimed 'nothing was ever done' about security concerns with armed residents. Pictured: Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer talks with locals yesterday
It comes as urgent questions are being asked of the force over why incel shooter Jake Davison had a gun licence and was given it back following an alleged assault
Davison shot his mother Maxine Davison, 51, before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, three, and her father Lee Martyn, 43.
In the 12-minute attack, Davison then killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Derriford Hospital.
Davison also shot locals Ben Parsonage, 33, and his mother Michelle, 53, but both are expected to make a full recovery.
Since the attack urgent questions have been raised as to why Davison - who had autism, OCD, anger issues and depression - was allowed a shotgun licence.
The former firearms licensing officer claimed Devon and Cornwall Police returned weapons to their owners because the force's solicitor feared being sued.
They told MailOnline: 'Every gun I seized was eventually returned as the force solicitor feared being sued over a licence revocation.
'I used to do at least five home visits everyday to check on security and raised concerns about lack of action regarding licensing breaches. Nothing was ever done.'
Last night the force's Chief Constable Sawyer admitted police did not go through Davison's social media before returning his weapon.
Luke Pollard (pictured with Priti Patel yesterday), Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said there was a 'sense of anger' among local residents at how the events of the atrocity unfolded
A teacher who knew Plymouth killer Jake Davison expressed his fury and disbelief last night that his former pupil was allowed to own a shotgun – and revealed that he had been obsessed with firearms from a young age
In rambling and unsettling films made in the weeks before his rampage, he described an obsession with The Terminator and repeatedly mentions to 'incel' movement linked to mass shootings in the US
Mr Sawyer claimed officers feared doing so would be an invasion of the killer's privacy.
He told the Sun: 'We take and return firearms on a not irregular basis when people have emotional crises or we receive reports from family members, then they can be returned.
'What we don't do, because firearms licensing is a lawful thing, is trawl the internet looking at people's lives. That's an invasion of privacy.'
Davison was given his shotgun back last month after having it taken from him in December following an alleged assault in September.
He used the weapon to kill the five people and himself on Thursday afternoon in a quiet road in Plymouth.
Despite Mr Sawyer's claims, former Met Police chief Lord Stevens said social media accounts should be checked before handing out gun licences.
He said that it would be to ensure 'guns do not fall into the hands of dangerous people'.
He told Telegraph that Davison was 'clearly a dangerous man', adding: 'The videos he made should have been taken into account when he applied for a shotgun licence.
'There needs to be a trawling of online content for an in-depth assessment of who these people are and what they think.'
Despite Mr Sawyer's claims, former Met Police chief Lord Stevens said social media accounts should be checked before handing out gun licences
Social media posts and interactions offered insight into the mind of a man who was interested in guns and America, while his social media usage suggests an obsession with the 'incel' culture, meaning 'involuntary celibate'.
Special prayers are being said in Plymouth today as the city mourns the five people killed in the shooting spree.
Tributes poured in for those shot dead by Davison, including his mother and a three-year-old girl, with flowers, cuddly toys and candles left near the scene in Keyham.
Churches across Devon, including St Thomas' Church in Keyham, will use Sunday services to remember the victims, with a special prayer by the Bishop of Exeter.
Father David Way, the vicar of St Thomas', told BBC Breakfast: 'Most importantly we will be praying for those who were killed.
'But something which has been taxing my mind all the way through is I also have to pray for mercy for Jake on his soul.
'As Christians, we have to love our enemies, and look with love on people who cause us harm.
'So yes, the community is in my heart, the people who died innocently are in my heart and in my prayers, but also everybody involved in this situation, I have to make sure we keep in our prayers.'
Devon and Cornwall Police has been approached for comment.
Parish Priest David Way during a service at St Thomas Church in Plymouth, Devon, on Sunday