Police revoked the rights of gun owners in Thames Valley more than 1,000 times in 13 years, figures show.

Following the recent mass shooting in Plymouth police forces across England and Wales have been urged to review their firearm application processes.

Jake Davison killed five and wounded two others after having his gun licence reinstated just months after it was revoked following his involvement in a fight.

In light of the gunman's deadly attack, the Government is calling on forces to review their current vetting processes and look at whether they need to revisit existing licences.

Home Office figures show Thames Valley Police revoked 35 licences and refused to renew two in the year to March.

In the same period, the force approved 365 new applications for firearm or shotgun licences but refused permission in five cases.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police, said: “Thames Valley Police continually reviews its firearms licensing practice in order to make the ownership of licensed firearms as safe as possible.  While we are confident that our processes are thorough and lawful, we will of course review our approach in the light of any learning which emerges from the tragic incident in Plymouth. 

“We are engaging with the Home Office and with other police forces to ensure that our firearms licensing operations are as effective as they can be. 

“Any changes to our firearms licensing practice will be made in consultation with our panel of stakeholders which includes representatives from a range of different groups with an interest in this very important area of policing. Our thoughts remain with those who have been affected by the events in Plymouth.”

Since 2008, when recording began, officers have approved 19,583 applications but revoked 1,146 licences and refused 119 applications for renewal.

A firearms certificate can be revoked for several reasons, including if a holder presents a danger to the public, is of "intemperate habits or unsound mind", no longer has a good reason to possess a firearm or has failed to comply with conditions under which the certificate is held.

The data shows that more than 560,000 people across England and Wales held shotgun or firearm licences in March, including 26,395 in Thames Valley.

The Government is now preparing to publish statutory guidance in an effort to ensure "greater consistency and higher standards" of decision making around firearms licensing.

Changes are likely to include greater scrutiny of an applicant's internet and social media use.

But the British Association for Shooting and Conservation says the process has taken too long, with a spokesman adding that the organisation had warned successive Government ministers of deadly consequences if stricter vetting processes were not implemented.

BASC is calling on the Government to introduce a statutory obligation that would see a marker included on medical notes indicating whether a patient had access to guns.

Christopher Graffius, from BASC, said: "I have been calling for this since 2013 and have told ministers that we would end up with people dead, likely women."

He added: "It is in the shooting community's interest to ensure public safety and it is absolutely awful to see tragedies like this."

Gill Marshall-Andrews of the Gun Control Network said most licensed gun owners were law abiding, adding: "But what is clear is that the more guns there are in circulation the greater the chance of an atrocity like this one in Plymouth.

"We need much more oversight of gun owners in this country."

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Incidents such as Thursday’s horrific events in Plymouth are thankfully rare, but their impact is profound, not only on those directly affected but on the public as a whole.

"We constantly assess what sensible and proportionate steps we can take to help prevent such terrible loss of life happening."