Alan Sharp has been sentenced to two years and three months behind bars.
A serving Scots cop who took home six shotguns and other weapons which had been surrendered to him has been jailed. Alan Sharp, 52, has been sentenced to two years and three months behind bars.
Sharp, who resigned from Police Scotland last month, previously pleaded guilty to three charges relating to firearms and one charge of wilful neglect of his duties as a police constable and firearms enquiry officer, when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on November 10.
He had possession of two firearms and live ammunition outside the terms of his own firearms license and admitted failing to carry out the necessary checks and enquiries for applications for firearms licenses.
At the time of the incident, Sharp was a constable with the Firearms and Explosive Licensing Department in Kinross and had been with the force since 2001.
Sharp was handed a shopping bag in January 2021 at Kinross Police Station, filled with components for a rifle and two firearm barrels. Then in November he took possession of six shotguns for “destruction”.
The weapons, which had been designated for “destruction”, were found in working order in a secure cabinet at his home in Kinross during a search in 2022. Officers also discovered rifle component parts in the shopping bag on top of a washing machine in a garage, with the two firearm barrels being found nearby.
A total of 1919 bullets of 17 different calibres were also seized. A police spreadsheet noted that the shotguns, rifle parts and the firearm barrels had all been “destroyed”.
Assistant Chief Constable for Professionalism and Assurance, Lynn Ratcliff, said: “Alan Sharp’s actions in no way reflect the high standards expected of an officer in Police Scotland. He abused his position as a constable, neglected his legal duties, and his actions go against everything we stand for as an organisation.
“It is right that policing is held to high standards at all times, and we will always support officers and staff acting with our values and standards at heart. The onus is on policing to build and maintain public confidence and consent which is critical in our ability to keep our communities and citizens safe.
“As a result, people like Alan Sharp have no place in Police Scotland. Matters are thoroughly investigated when an officer or staff member fails to uphold the high standards we expect in policing.”
