The Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police has told an inquest into the killings of a mass shooter that she is working to improve the way gun licenses are approved to prevent a similar tragedy.

The evidence of Chief Constable Debbie Tedds, who is the NPCC lead for firearms and explosives, came as Chief Supt Roy Linden apologised for the "wrong" decision to allow Jake Davison to ever legally own a firearm - before he used it to kill five people.

Chief Supt Linden said Davison should never have been given an licence to own a firearm when he initially applied for it after a history of violence.

And he said it was also entirely the wrong decision to give the licence back after it was confiscated as a result of a brutal attack on two teenagers in a local park.

CCTV footage previously played to the jury showed the attack in the skatepark the year before he shot and killed five innocent people - including a toddler - in an eight-minute rampage.

Speaking at the inquest of the victims during the last day of evidence, Chief Supt Linden, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said sorry on behalf of the force for the decisions taken at the time.

Jake Davison was approved for a licence in 2017 when he was just 18 by Devon and Cornwall Police for the purpose of clay pigeon shooting (image via SWNS)

In the earlier attack in September 2020, at least five punches were thrown at a 16-year-old boy with blows continuing as he lay motionless on the ground, while a 15-year-old girl was also hit by Davison.

A year later he was considered to be "low risk" and had his gun returned by police before using it to carry out one of Britain's worst mass shootings in decades.

He was not prosecuted for the attack, which was dealt with through an apology, "restorative justice" and an anger management course.

And his record of 'deeply disturbing' internet history, where he would regularly post about the incel community, and other 'idolised' mass shooters was also not taken into account when the decision was made.

Chief Constable Calls for Change

Speaking at the inquest Ms Tedds said she wanted consistency across police forces, and was hopeful of a legislation change in the autumn.

Currently training for firearms enquiry officers varies between forces in different parts of the country.

And to combat barriers around funding and resources, she has proposed an increase in firearms licence fees to help cover the cost of extra staff and training.

She said: "My proposal to the Home Office is part of the licence fee should include a small cost, about a pound from the 620k licence holders over a five year period, to fund a central quality assurance process. We can develop the right products, a training programme and quality assurance around that.

"Those discussions are ongoing. The data is being worked through by Home Office analysts."

She also told the coroner, she was determined to deliver this to "make a change so we can ensure the likelihood of this ever happening again is reduced".

She acknowledged that in some cases in the industry it had previously been a default position that "people get licences unless there is a good reason not to".

Chief Constable Debbie Tedds says she hopes legislation will change this autumn (image via Warwickshire Police)

But she said this was something she was determined to change.

She added: "Having a licence is privilege and not a right.

"My view is the statutory guidance does define the standards but the work I need to do is ensure consistency around it. There may have been a culture where people felt a right to have them and then the process would say no. But I am very clear that it is a privilege.

"It is a lethal weapon and we need to be careful who has them."

The chief constable also said restorative justice and referees were among the other areas to be looked at but said the training was her priority.

She added: "We have got some of the foundations in place and we would like accredited training as we need to drive consistency across the country.

"Funding has been an issue in the past but I believe I have got further than others. We have got the products being developed now, got the curriculum in place. We are some way down that road but still got to get it approved."

Eight-Minute Rampage

The inquest had earlier heard details about Davison's eight minute killing spree through the streets of Plymouth in 2021.

His first victim was his own mother Maxine, 51, who he shot after a row at their home on August 12, 2021.

In the minutes that followed Davison, an apprentice crane operator, shot dead strangers Sophie Martyn, three, and her father Lee Martyn, 43, on the street as they were walking their dog.

Jake Davison killed five people in Plymouth in August 2021 (image via SWNS)

He then killed Stephen Washington, 59, a full-time carer for his wife, by shooting him in the chest in a nearby park as he walked his two dogs.

Artist Katherine Shepherd, 66, was then shot, and later died, at Derriford Hospital from a gunshot wound to her stomach.

A 33-year-old man, and a 53-year-old woman, were also shot and wounded before Davison turned the gun on himself and ended his own life at the age of 22.

The inquest, at Exeter Racecourse, continues.