Derrick Bird tried to acquire third gun while on the run

The Cumbrian gunman Derrick Bird who killed 12 people and injured 11 others in June, tried to get hold of a third weapon during his three hours on the run, police revealed today. An independent report on the granting of four gun licences to the Whitehaven taxi driver, who shot himself dead after the murders, suggests that he wanted the Winchester automatic-ejector shotgun as a quicker way to kill more victims. After shooting his brother and the family solicitor, the report says, he hammered on the door of a fellow licence-holder to whom he had given the gun only the night before. After a "two-minute conversation", which gave no clue as to what had happened or what lay ahead, the man refused. Bird made no attempt to attack him but drove off to pick the rest of his victims at random. Craig Mackey, chief constable of Cumbria police, told a press conference: "It's a two-minute conversation, and then he's off again. We don't think the certificate holder had any indication as to what Derrick Bird was up to." The man did not contact police during the killings and appears to have been unaware of them until later. The report reveals the father of two, who was 52 and had a record of theft, drink-driving and allegations of threatening behaviour, legally owned three shotguns and a rifle with a telescopic sight. It finds that Cumbria police ran a robust and professionally administered licensing system which could not be blamed for the "appalling offences". But the author, assistant chief constable Adrian Whiting of Dorset police, who heads the firearms and licensing working group of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), recommends a series of measures to "tighten up" gun licensing. They include a five-year ban for anyone with a suspended prison sentence - as Bird had for stealing equipment in 1990 from his former employer, British Nuclear Fuels at Sellafield. Whiting emphasised that Bird's disqualification would have been long-lapsed and concludes that there are no "case-specific" lessons for licensing in the tragedy. But he also suggests clearer links between mental health checks, with GPs and potentially family members, when firearms certificates are granted or licensed. He told a press conference in Penrith this morning: "I have been able to assure the chief constable of Cumbria that the decisions made and the actions taken in respect of the grant and renewals of Derrick Bird's shotgun certificate, and those in respect of the grant of his firearm certificate, were in accordance with the law, regulation, Home Office advice and Acpo policy. "I have concluded that the arrangements for firearm, shotgun and explosive certification in Cumbria are robust and that the people involved have the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience. In particular I consider that they are professional and committed to their work, and fully recognise the critical public safety issues at stake. "There were no reasonable opportunities for the licensing system to have been the instrument of intervention to prevent the appalling offences subsequently committed." Only one piece of timing might have saved the victims, according to the report - had a tax investigation into Bird reached the "impending prosecution" stage, the firearms team would have been informed. Rage at the prospect of a ruinous tax case has been suggested at one reason for Bird's deranged behaviour, which was not remotely in character according to family, friends and colleagues. The report shows that he was given his first shotgun licence at the age of 16 and had always kept to the system's requirements. As he expanded his small arsenal to include the other weapons, he gave the reason as clay pigeon shooting and vermin control on local farmland. The landowner sent a supporting letter for the most recent five-year renewal, in November 2005, which has a photograph Bird smiling amicably. The certificate includes the 12-bore Fisher shotgun he used with the .22 rifle in the killings, which took place between Whitehaven and the remote Lake District hamlet of Boot, where he shot himself in a wood. The night before the killings, he sawed off the shotgun's barrels, which is illegal. The report notes that the telescopic sight for the rifle was also legal. The fitting falls outside the scope of the licensing system. The licence was due for renewal later this month. Bird was also allowed a sound moderator and up to 1,500 rounds of ammunition for the guns. The report adds that it was "likely'' that the licence was reviewed because of Bird's criminal record, but fails to find a definite recorded reason. He was fined £100 and banned for a year after drink-driving in 1982, and given a six-month suspended sentence in 1990 for stealing and handling decorating materials belonging to British Nuclear Fuels. Police were also called after an argument with a girlfriend in 1998, and he was arrested in 1999 after claims of menacing behaviour over a taxi fare. Neither incident led to prosecution. Mackey, who commissioned the report, said: "It is important to ensure that firearms certificates are issued in line with national guidelines and legislation, and I wanted to ensure our decision-making and actions in respect of Bird's firearms certificates were appropriate. "I wanted Derrick Bird's victims, the families of those who were killed, the local community and our police officers and staff to be confident that our firearms licensing procedures were robust and fit for purpose. "This review has confirmed that Bird owned his firearms lawfully, and that we could not have used our firearms licensing process to identify him as a risk or prevent the tragic shootings in west Cumbria." The report noted that Bird had had no contact with mental health services and seldom saw his GP, who might have picked up clues to his changing state of mind. But Whiting said: "I do not think there are any immediate changes that could be implemented urgently that would have prevented these offences. While there are a number of areas where I think improvements can be made, even these would not have applied directly to this case: they are general improvements rather than case-specific ones. "To prevent circumstances of this type, a far more fundamental change in respect of the private ownership of firearms and ammunition would be necessary, and this would be something I anticipate would require far more significant debate and consultation. "The hard truth is that the system of certification is designed to reduce the risk of lawfully possessed firearms being misused criminally, not to eliminate it altogether. To achieve that would require a very different approach from parliament and a different agreement between a government and the people it governs."