BEREAVED families from the Plymouth mass shooting said today their “deaths have been in vain” as the Devon and Cornwall Police continue to place the public at risk.

They told of their disgust that the force had not implemented coroner’s recommendations following the massacre after the police watchdog found it “must stop” its “extraordinarily high reliance” on issuing temporary permits for guns.

Jake Davison, 22, killed five people and then himself in eight minutes in Keyham on August 12 2021.

Inquests into the deaths found a “catastrophic” failure in the management of the firearms unit which led to him having his gun returned to him just weeks before the attack.

His mother Maxine, 51, three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, were killed.

In February, the inquest criticised failings within the force’s firearms licensing unit which handed the apprentice crane operator his shotgun back, with senior coroner for Plymouth Ian Arrow calling for a “root-and-branch” reform of Britain’s gun laws to protect the public.

Today, lawyer Patrick Maguire, who represents the Martyn, Washington and Shepherd families, said: “We are extremely disappointed that, despite the jury at the inquest concluding that there were catastrophic failures within the firearms licensing unit of the Devon and Cornwall Police, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) flag issues that the force continues to place the public at risk.

“We are disgusted that Devon and Cornwall Police have not implemented all of the coroner and Independent Office for Police Conduct’s recommendations.

“How many more people need to needlessly die before they do things properly?

“We had hoped that our loved ones’ deaths would not be in vain and that the force would do absolutely everything they could to prevent future deaths from happening. This does not appear to be the case.”

Devon and Cornwall Police assistant chief constable Jim Pearce said the HMIC review found the force had “fully implemented four of the five recommendations and highlights positive areas.” 

But he added: “I acknowledge that there is still work to do, particularly in our backlog of renewal of firearms licences and our use of temporary permits.

“The safety of our communities across Devon and Cornwall remains our priority and we are absolutely focused on delivering a safe, efficient and sustainable firearms licensing service.”