NEARLY 24,000 people hold shotgun certificates across the Devon and Cornwall Police force area, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The data shows there are currently 23,847 shotgun certificate holders in the force area.

It also reveals that the average processing time for a new shotgun certificate application is 157 days, while renewals take an average of 85 days.

Nationally, there were 457,340 shotgun certificates on issue as of 31 March 2026, representing a five per cent decrease compared with the previous year and the lowest total since comparable records began in 2007.

The figures also show that 1,300,223 shotguns are currently covered by shotgun certificates across the UK.