Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers have (a) applied for and (b) been granted an individual firearms licence since 2011.

The British Transport Police currently has 155 authorised firearms officers. Their authority to carry firearms is derived from Section 58 of the Firearms Act 1968 as amended by Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. There is no requirement for them to possess individual firearms certificates.

Prior to the amendment to the Act, officers were required to obtain personal firearms licences. During the period in question, BTP records show that 56 officers applied for and were granted relevant firearms licences.