On Thursday last week the people of Plymouth came together at the city’s St Andrew’s Church for a service of remembrance dedicated to the five citizens of that city who’s killing a week earlier shocked and appalled a nation.

Of course, questions are now being asked about how this happened, why the gunman who later turned his weapon on himself and had it and his shotgun certificate returned to him a month before his deadly spree.

The shooting has sparked three inquiries around the licensing of guns.

The specifics around this case and Devon and Cornwall Police’s actions are subject to an inquiry by the Independent Office of Police Conduct, which on Friday gave details of the scope of its investigation.

The Home Office is conducting a review of the current legislation, considering matters such as whether social media accounts of licence applicants should be scrutinised prior to licenses being issued.

And I am working with the Chief Constable to set the terms of a swift review of firearms licensing in Devon and Cornwall. This will be led by the National Police Chief Council which will appoint another force to conduct the review.

So, the processes and decisions around this appalling incident are subject to intense scrutiny. They will be understood, and if legislative changes are required to make this country safer then I have every faith that the Government will take the necessary action.

Our collective responsibility must now turn to the people affected by this heinous crime. We must ask what we can do to help them, how can we ensure that the city, and particularly Keyham and Ford, are not defined by this incident. As commissioner for victim services, I will ensure they are given every opportunity to recover as best they can.

Police officers and Victim Support staff who have been on duty in this area in the past week have reported a community in a state of shock. They have met dog walkers who feel afraid to go out and traumatised children.

We must ensure that practical and emotional help is in place for the long term. As Wednesday’s church service drew to a close, my office was submitting a bid to the Ministry of Justice for a substantial package of measures that will fund specific and dedicated resources for this community over a two-year period.

If successful we will be able to fund additional specialist counselling for those who require it and put in place additional specialist youth case workers and specialist trauma therapy. The new strategic partnership I announced earlier in the year means we worked on this bid with the experts at Victim Support. Sadly because of tragic events such as the Manchester terrorist attack and the Grenfell fire they are practiced, skilled and experienced at dealing with trauma.

We are also working with a range of partners including Plymouth City Council on the Plymouth Together Fund, helping to coordinate and distribute all the fundraising that has been raised to support the families and communities impacted by this tragedy. Thousands of pounds have already been donated to various charities, groups and organisations to help support the communities impacted and to help them rebuild and restore.

So, my message to the people of Plymouth and the wider Devon and Cornwall community is that when the national media interest in this event has waned and the initial shock has passed, my office and our partners will be by your side to ensure you have the best possible services in place.

Victim Support is the largest provider of independent victim services in the UK. In 2019/20 Victim Support contacted 730,515 victims of crime and went on to support 112,586 of these. Over 803,000 people visited its website and its 24/7 Support line received over 88,500 phone calls, emails and live chat sessions.