Written questions by Dhesi.

How many people are in possession of a (a) double barrel, (b) pump action and (c) multi-shot shotgun in England.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of firearms held, including shotguns, by the type of firearms certificate held. This data does not provide a specific breakdown on the type of shotgun. The latest data can be found in the table 13 via the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684aa6f1a3c112ee2996ff1e/firearm-shotgun-certificates-2024-2025-tables.odsThe Firearms Act 1968 enables a Registered Firearms Dealer (RFD) to purchase and sell firearms provided that accurate records are maintained, and all firearms are properly accounted for, including those which have been transferred to the dealer by certificate holders. Private sales can also be arranged through an RFD by the owner if he or she wishes. However, the issue of private sales is an important one. The Government keeps all controls on firearms under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms.The non-statutory Guide on Firearms Licensing Law, last issued in November 2022, is currently in the process of being updated and a revised version will be issued in due course. However, a new version of the Statutory Guidance on firearms licensing to Chief Officers of Police was issued on 5 August 2025, and this sets out the criteria that must be applied when police forces are considering firearms applications and is intended to strengthen the assessment of those who hold, or who apply for, both shotgun and firearms licences. The Statutory Guidance is helping to ensure consistency in decision making across all police forces.The Home Office has regular discussions with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland on firearms licensing matters through the Firearms Licensing Enforcement Board (FLEB) which is chaired by the Home Office. Sharing of firearms licensing data for operational reasons, and where there is a lawful basis for doing so, can already take place between forces in England and Wales and Police Scotland.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the involvement of registered firearms dealers in all (a) sales and (b) purchases of private firearms.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of firearms held, including shotguns, by the type of firearms certificate held. This data does not provide a specific breakdown on the type of shotgun. The latest data can be found in the table 13 via the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684aa6f1a3c112ee2996ff1e/firearm-shotgun-certificates-2024-2025-tables.odsThe Firearms Act 1968 enables a Registered Firearms Dealer (RFD) to purchase and sell firearms provided that accurate records are maintained, and all firearms are properly accounted for, including those which have been transferred to the dealer by certificate holders. Private sales can also be arranged through an RFD by the owner if he or she wishes. However, the issue of private sales is an important one. The Government keeps all controls on firearms under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms.The non-statutory Guide on Firearms Licensing Law, last issued in November 2022, is currently in the process of being updated and a revised version will be issued in due course. However, a new version of the Statutory Guidance on firearms licensing to Chief Officers of Police was issued on 5 August 2025, and this sets out the criteria that must be applied when police forces are considering firearms applications and is intended to strengthen the assessment of those who hold, or who apply for, both shotgun and firearms licences. The Statutory Guidance is helping to ensure consistency in decision making across all police forces.The Home Office has regular discussions with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland on firearms licensing matters through the Firearms Licensing Enforcement Board (FLEB) which is chaired by the Home Office. Sharing of firearms licensing data for operational reasons, and where there is a lawful basis for doing so, can already take place between forces in England and Wales and Police Scotland.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of legislation on the use of e-scooters in public places.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending. The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles, including privately owned e-scooters, which have been used anti-socially or illegally more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course. These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of e-scooters ridden anti-socially or illegally and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated. Enforcement of road traffic legislation is an operational matter for Chief Officers of local forces to decide how best to use their powers depending on the specific circumstances.

Whether she plans to require people wishing to sell a firearm to (a) notify the police of their intention and (b) be required to first receive verification from the police of the proposed vendor's firearms licence.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety.We intend to publish this consultation later this year. This is in addition to the publication of revised Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police in August, intended to strengthen the assessment of those who hold, or who apply for, both shotgun and firearms licences. The Statutory Guidance is helping to ensure consistency in decision making across all police forces.The assessment of suitability to hold a shotgun or firearm, including in relation to the safety of the applicant and the wider community, is a matter for the relevant Chief Officer of Police. We do not have any plans to introduce additional safety lessons for licence holders.The Government keeps all controls on firearms under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms.The terrible murders in Luton on 13 September 2024, when Juliana Prosper and two of her children, Giselle and Kyle, were fatally shot by Juliana's son using an illegally purchased shotgun, exposed weaknesses in the controls on the private sale and purchase of firearms. In the light of this incident, the Government is considering options for tightening the law in this area, and we will bring forward our proposals shortly.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits requiring applicants for a shotgun or firearms licence to undergo a basic safety lesson on firearms.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety.We intend to publish this consultation later this year. This is in addition to the publication of revised Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police in August, intended to strengthen the assessment of those who hold, or who apply for, both shotgun and firearms licences. The Statutory Guidance is helping to ensure consistency in decision making across all police forces.The assessment of suitability to hold a shotgun or firearm, including in relation to the safety of the applicant and the wider community, is a matter for the relevant Chief Officer of Police. We do not have any plans to introduce additional safety lessons for licence holders.The Government keeps all controls on firearms under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms.The terrible murders in Luton on 13 September 2024, when Juliana Prosper and two of her children, Giselle and Kyle, were fatally shot by Juliana's son using an illegally purchased shotgun, exposed weaknesses in the controls on the private sale and purchase of firearms. In the light of this incident, the Government is considering options for tightening the law in this area, and we will bring forward our proposals shortly.

What steps she is taking to help ensure consistent (a) standards and (b) decision making in the licensing of (i) shotguns and (ii) firearms.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety.We intend to publish this consultation later this year. This is in addition to the publication of revised Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police in August, intended to strengthen the assessment of those who hold, or who apply for, both shotgun and firearms licences. The Statutory Guidance is helping to ensure consistency in decision making across all police forces.The assessment of suitability to hold a shotgun or firearm, including in relation to the safety of the applicant and the wider community, is a matter for the relevant Chief Officer of Police. We do not have any plans to introduce additional safety lessons for licence holders.The Government keeps all controls on firearms under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms.The terrible murders in Luton on 13 September 2024, when Juliana Prosper and two of her children, Giselle and Kyle, were fatally shot by Juliana's son using an illegally purchased shotgun, exposed weaknesses in the controls on the private sale and purchase of firearms. In the light of this incident, the Government is considering options for tightening the law in this area, and we will bring forward our proposals shortly.

Whether police officers are given (a) official targets, (b) unofficial targets and (c) recommendations for the number of fixed penalty notices they should issue.

The Home Office does not give police officers or police forces official or unofficial targets, or recommendations for the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) they should issue.FPNs can be an efficient means for the police to deal with low level offences including motoring or anti-social behaviour offences, whilst reducing the burden on the courts and allowing police resources to focus on more serious crimes.

Whether she plans to (a) increase restrictions on (i) buying and (ii) importing antique firearms and (b) improve the monitoring of the ownership of those firearms.

The Government keeps the law and controls on antique firearms under review. The Antique Firearms Regulations 2021 provides a statutory definition of antique firearm in order to clarify which firearms can safely be exempt from firearms controls and which should be subject to licensing requirements. We undertake a review of the firearms that are exempt from control annually, to assess whether any antique firearms feature in crime, with a full review of the Regulations every three years. The most recent review identified no need for further changes to the controls on buying, possession or importing of antique firearms at this time. The Government will not hesitate to take action in relation to any antique firearms if the evidence shows that this is necessary. Since antique firearms are exempt from most firearms controls, including the need for licensing, we do not routinely monitor their ownership.

What recent steps she has taken to prevent the use of off-road bikes on common land without lawful authority.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles, including off-road bikes on common land without lawful authority, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government has recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

What recent steps she has taken to prevent the illegal use of off-road bikes.

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles, including off-road bikes on common land without lawful authority, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government has recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially more quickly. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

The Computer Misuse Act (CMA), which criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems and data, plays a vital role in ensuring that the UK has the right legislative framework to allow us to tackle cyber harms.The Government is committed to ensuring the CMA remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality. That is why we are undertaking a review of the act, which is currently ongoing. As part of the review, we are scoping several proposals to update the act and give law enforcement enhanced tools and powers to effectively investigate and prosecute cyber criminality.We will provide an update in due course once proposals are finalised.

What recent steps her Department has taken to support (a) local authorities and (b) police forces to tackle anti-social behaviour (i) in town centres and (ii) on high streets.

This Government wants town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe and come to shop, socialise and live.The Safer Streets Summer Initiative commenced on 30 June and runs until the end of September. It is tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in town centres, including city centres, through enhanced police visibility and meaningful consequences.Police and Crime Commissioners are leading on targeted action to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) that blights our town centres and high streets. The work is being delivered in partnership with councils, schools, health services, business, transport providers and community groups all playing a role over the summer. Under the initiative, partners will use targeted enforcement, visible policing and place-based interventions to reduce retail and street crime and ASB in over 500 town centres and high streets, across England and Wales, including Slough.£200m has been made available to forces in 2025/26 to kickstart the delivery of 13,000 more neighbourhood officers across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament - of which up to 3,000 will be in place by March 2026. In particular, Thames Valley Police has been awarded £6,093,042 as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.In addition to this, £66.3 million in Hotspot Action (HAF) funding has been made available for 2025/26 to all 43 territorial police forces across England and Wales. The Fund will increase visible uniformed patrols (delivered by police and local authority wardens) in Town Centres and areas (hotspots) most impacted by knife crime, serious violence and ASB. This includes allocating £1,690,460 to Thames Valley Police.In support, all police officers are receiving national guidance, a policy toolkit and access to hyper-local ASB crime mapping analysis, which overlays crime concentration data against hotspot responses and points of interest such as town centres. It aims to support analysis, identification of priority town centres, planning, and delivery.

What guidance her Department issues to police forces to ensure that they use their public order powers at protests in compliance with human rights legislation.

Guidance on the use of public order powers is jointly produced by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.The College of Policing publishes the Public Order Public Safety Authorised Professional Practice, while the Protest Operational Advice Document is issued collaboratively by both organisations.These documents provide comprehensive operational guidance and include robust, detailed consideration of human rights legislation, ensuring that policing practices align with legal obligations and uphold fundamental rights.

What information her Department holds on the number of recorded offences related to the illegal use of an e-scooter in a public place in the past 5 years.

The Home Office collects information on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales.The Home Office does not hold information on whether an offence was related to the use of e-scooters.

What recent steps have been taken to prevent knife crime in (a) Slough and (b) the Thames Valley region.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Preventing knife crime across the UK, including Slough and the Thames Valley region, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.To date, we have taken action to ban zombie knives and the ban on ninja swords came into force on 1 August 2025 - it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We have also implemented, “Ronan’s Law”, a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives.Over £66 million is available to all 43 police force areas to fund the 'Hotspot Action' programme in 2025/26. This includes Thames Valley Police who have been allocated £1.69m for 2025/26. This programme is a combination of increased high visibility foot patrols and funding of problem-oriented policing (POP) tactics. POP is bespoke to the local areas to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions, such as increased targeted knife sweeps, and licensed premises checks.Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will establish Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across the country, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As part of this, the Government will pilot new multi-agency Prevention Partnership Panels, led by Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), to identify and refer vulnerable children and young people to a range of support services, including the Young Futures Hubs. More than twenty panels will be up and running in the coming months, across the areas of the country that collectively account for more than 80% knife crime, with more to follow.VRUs bring together partners, including from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing £1.5m in grant funding to the Thames Valley Violence Prevention Partnership (VPP), alongside £280k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty. The Home Office has also made additional funding available for the set up of panels.This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes the continuation of a Focused Deterrence intervention in Slough. This project will be targeted to young people who carry knives and provide them with tailored multi-agency support to desist from violence, alongside enforcement measures. Funding will also support the delivery of Operation Deter, which provides support for young people in custody following knife possession offences, helping them access education, mentoring and rehabilitation services.

What recent discussions she has had with retailers on the prevention of shoplifting.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level and we will not stand for it. That’s why our Crime and Policing Bill introduces a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. Also included as part of the Bill, we will be repealing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, which means it can only be tried in a magistrate’s court, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.Retail crime is regularly discussed with the sector at both Ministerial and official level. I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum, which has held two very productive meetings to date. The Forum brings together representatives from the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement agencies to promote collaboration, share best practice and to work collectively to tackle the serious issue of retail crime.This work includes the development of a new strategy to tackle shop theft published by retail sector representatives and policing. The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, what her planned timeline is for bringing the proposals into effect.

Further details of all the measures announced in the White Paper will be set out in due course, and where necessary, subject to consultation.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of training available to police forces for engaging with neurodiverse suspects.

Training on mental ill health and autism is already integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits must complete.Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has produced an e-learning course and a glossary of terms on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle car-related crimes in Slough.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.Via the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.In recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

What steps her Department is taking to protect British consumers against fraud.

We committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy. Development of the Strategy has begun and details of the government’s approach to tackling fraud will be set out in due course.Work continues to ensure that the public are better equipped to spot and avoid frauds, through our Stop! Think Fraud campaign. Furthermore, as of March 2025, the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties are now enforceable by Ofcom. This will cut off key online vectors by which criminals are able to identify and communicate with potential victims, such as fraudulent advertising. We are also banning SIM farms, technical devices that allow criminals to send thousands of scam texts and calls at once, as part of the ongoing passage of the Crime and Policing Bill.