Greater Manchester is the joint worst performing police force in the country when it comes getting a gun licence granted or renewed.

It takes on average 89 days for the granting of a firearm certificate and 78 days for the granting of a shotgun certificate.

The renewal of a firearms certificate takes 117 days and of a shotgun certificate 116 days.

Performance wise the force was bottom with West Midlands and Avon & Somerset.

But the force, currently tackling a spike in the number of shootings in the region, says there has been increased scrutiny of background checks to identify risks posed by the misuse of legally held guns.

In Greater Manchester there are 9,000 licensed gun holders with 27,000 weapons between them.

Licensed holders are an established source of 'clean' guns for criminals in the UK.

In February last year three masked robbers stole five shotguns after breaking into a house in upmarket Hale.

The large detached house was in South Downs Road - dubbed millionaire's row - and a couple and their young children were terrorised in their own home.

The family had licensed shotguns to go shooting in their spare time.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

As reported in the MEN the number of shootings - swelled by a six-year feud between Salford gangsters - has risen to levels unseen for more than a decade.

By late February there had been 74 shootings which caused 17 injuries across Greater Manchester.

That's the most since 2008/09, when there were 84 shootings. In that year, offshoots of the Gooch and Doddington gangs were engaged in tit-for-tat conflict in south Manchester, resulting in the deaths of a number of young men.

The figures for the time to taken to issue gun licences have been published by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the mean average for forces in England and Wales in 2019 for issuing firearm certificates was 61 and for shotguns 59.

BASC believes all police forces "should be striving towards providing an efficient, cost effective, robust system of firearms licensing that protects public safety and provides excellent service to the shooting community."

They say there over 600,000 certificate holders in England and Wales alone, "with thousands of jobs and livelihoods significantly linked to being granted a firearms licence."

Commenting on Greater Manchester Police, Bill Harriman, director of firearms at BASC, said: “With turnaround times pushing three months or more Greater Manchester Police continue to reside at the bottom of the league table.

"The statistics show no net improvement, leaving the shooting community at a significant disadvantage in the area. The continued performance issues by the force is of significant concern to BASC and we will be in contact with them to ensure the correct plans and resources are being applied to turn the statistics around.”

GMP’s Firearms and Explosives Licensing Manager Alan Bates said: “We understand that turnaround times for the processing of applications fall below the national average. Our team is working hard to improve the efficiency of the service whilst continually addressing the complex threats and challenges the force faces.

“The unit underwent an initiation in 2015 of a full review of all certificate holders in Greater Manchester. Putting additional measures such as these in ensures we are able to identify any risk posed from the misuse of legally held firearms and therefore there has been an increased scrutiny of background checks. This rigorous process has been set out to minimise the risk that misusing firearms has on our communities however it has inevitably had a knock on effect on turnaround times.

“The unit also recently held a meeting with registered firearms dealers from across the force to provide an update on the current position and steps being taken to improve efficiency. Processes are continually reviewed in consultation with the shooting community and shooting organisations. We hope that the recent availability of online applications together with the increasing use of technology within the unit will lead to a positive effect on turnaround times as we move forward.

“The overarching priority of the unit is to protect public safety by preventing foreseeable or avoidable harm. Our ongoing aim is to provide a cost-effective and efficient service to the shooting community whilst ensuring that our wider community feels protected and reassured within Greater Manchester.”