Police officer admits taking seized shotguns home

Alan Sharp said the guns seized from one man were being taken to Glasgow to be destroyed

A serving police officer is facing a prison sentence after taking weapons home, including six shotguns that were surrendered to him.

Alan Sharp took possession of the firearms after a man opted against renewing his shotgun licence due to old age.

Sharp, who qualified as Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) in 2015, was later the subject of an internal probe over concerns he had failed to carry out proper checks on those applying for gun certificates.

At the High Court in Glasgow the 52-year-old admitted three charges under the Firearms Act and another of wilful neglect of police duty.

Sharp, an officer since 2001, moved to the Firearms and Explosive Licensing Unit in Perth in late 2020.

He held responsibility for the granting and renewal of applications for such weapons and the seizure and disposal of surrendered guns and ammunition.

The court heard that in January 2021 a man handed over a sports bag with components for a rifle and two firearm barrels to Sharp at Kinross Police Station as part of a "government surrender scheme".

In November the same year, Sharp went to the home of another man who had decided not to renew his shotgun licence.

Sharp seized six shotguns and told the man they would be kept in a "safe holding area" before being moved to Glasgow for destruction.

He later sent an email to the firearms licensing unit detailing the shotguns and their serial numbers.

In July 2022, an investigation was launched over concerns Sharp was failing to carry out reference checks for fresh and renewed gun applications.

Sharp admitted he had not contacted all referees due to "work related stress and time constraints".

He also claimed it was not "necessary" to carry out checks if he knew people involved personally and there had been no change to the referees.

Sharp was also the holder of his own shotgun certificate.

That was seized as part of the investigation and his house in Fife searched.

Officers discovered all six of the shotguns seized from the man in November 2021, which were found to be in working order, within a secure cabinet.

Data 'falsely entered'

The court heard there was no record of Sharp signing out or removing the shotguns.

Sharp told officers he had got an "instruction" firearms were not to be stored at Kinross police station.

He further stated he did not have time to move them to an armoury before finishing for annual leave.

Police colleagues also found the rifle component parts in the shopping bag on top of a washing machine in a garage.

The two firearm barrels were found nearby.

These items were the ones surrendered in January 2021.

Internal records showed all of these items had been listed as "destroyed" by police, however Sharp did not enter the data into the system.

A total of 1,919 bullets of 17 different calibres were also seized.

The investigation into Sharp's conduct found 75 occasions where one or more of the "mandatory checks" had not taken place.

They had then been "falsely entered" as having been completed on the application forms.

Judge Lord Armstrong remanded Sharp in custody and warned him he could face a minimum five-year term in jail.

The case was adjourned until next month in Edinburgh.