POLICE officers should have seized a farm worker’s guns before he shot himself, an inquest jury has concluded.

The jury said Glen Brough’s death was suicide, to which a failure to adequately respond to an obvious risk of self harm had contributed.

The jury reached its conclusions at the end of a week-long inquest in York into the death of the 36-year-old, of North Duffield, near Selby, in August last year.

The hearing was told that two officers went to his house after concerns were raised about his welfare following a relationship breakdown.

During their visit, he revealed he had tried to kill himself after a previous breakdown by driving into a ditch, but they said he had been laughing, joking, calm and pleasant and they had been happy he was not going to harm himself.

He voluntarily handed over his gun cabinet keys, which were taken to Selby police station, and he was able to pick them up the next day and shoot himself.

The jury concluded yesterday there had been a failure to respond adequately to the additional information he had supplied, and to elevate the potential level of risk that he posed to himself. There was also a failure to familiarise with policies relating to licensed firearms, which should have led to the seizure of his weaponry.

Glen’s family said later in a statement they were thankful that the jury had identified failings that contributed to the death of a loving brother, son and uncle, which had devastated them.

They said they had had to push to get answers about Glen’s death. “We feel completely let down by North Yorkshire Police, we feel that policies and procedures that were in place regarding how officers should risk assess an incident involving a firearms certificate holder weren’t followed.”

They hoped proposed changes took place, and could prevent another family suffering what they had suffered.

North Yorkshire Police expressed the force’s "sincere condolences" to Glen's family and friends.

Assistant Chief Constable Amanda Oliver said officers attended hundreds of incidents involving firearms certificate holders every year and officers were sometimes required to make very difficult operational decisions regarding the removal of firearms.

“When officers visited Mr Brough, they found him to be sober and rational and he engaged with officers,” she said.

“They concluded, in good faith, that he posed no risk to himself.

“North Yorkshire Police accept the jury’s conclusion, however, that the risk assessment was not adequate in the particular circumstances of this case.”

She said the force had since proactively conducted a thorough review of training, practices and procedures and developed a new, innovative training programme, provided enhanced guidance on risk assessments and now required decisions made by officers to allow certificate holders to retain firearms to be approved by a senior officer.