No Shotgun Ticket Anytime Soon

[Finners]

I think the key word being used here is "Grant" This used to be an "Issue" The Police have slowly but surely introduced this notion that they need to vet you and your storage/security arrangements. This is not and never has been their responsibility (read the Act) 

This self imposed extra burden the Police have placed upon themselves, along with the introduction of "Explosives" into their remit and the cutting back of staff numbers have combined to create the delays we are now seeing. 

I guess few can expect to win any argument that the Police have a duty to protect and; although we might feel that personally we are no threat, sadly this is not the wider view it would seem.

Therefore, lets give the FEO's some credit. They are in many cases combining with adjoining forces which should (not sure it is.... but it should) improve efficiency. They are also streamlining processes and attempting to employ modern (computerised) systems, heaven help us! 

 

[Critter]

Hello worcestershire,we are in the Avon and Somerset area. The FEO explained what happens next and why it may still take a while. It would be nice if it didnt take till after Christmas but I can wait a few weeks,no worries.

hoplite,thats impressive,well done South Yorkshire.

I'm also in Avon & Somerset area.  Old licence was due to expire on 2nd September so sent in renewal at the beginning of July.  Communicated via emails several times and always had a reply within hours.  New certificate arrived on 1st September - just in time!  I actually think they're doing a pretty good job - I was told they process more than 35000 applications/renewals a year - no idea what size their team is, but that's a lot to process.  And with having to contact the applicants doctor now, no wonder some delays happen. 

I remember my first shotgun certificate application, oh so long ago, filled in form at post office, sent off with fee etc., received certificate 2 weeks later.  Happy days!

 

[Big Gaz]

I'm also in Avon & Somerset area.  Old licence was due to expire on 2nd September so sent in renewal at the beginning of July.  Communicated via emails several times and always had a reply within hours.  New certificate arrived on 1st September - just in time!  I actually think they're doing a pretty good job - I was told they process more than 35000 applications/renewals a year - no idea what size their team is, but that's a lot to process.  And with having to contact the applicants doctor now, no wonder some delays happen. 

I remember my first shotgun certificate application, oh so long ago, filled in form at post office, sent off with fee etc., received certificate 2 weeks later.  Happy days!

35000 grants and renewals is a lot, but its also a lot of our money going into there pockets and we should get a better service for our money.

A rough calculation - 35K times £50 (the cheapest fee, renewal) is 1.75 million per year for just one region. That should buy you quite a big team to deal with renewals/grants

When you hear the number of Firearms Officers is dropping. The police still take the same money and all that happens is the service slips as we can see and those officers left have to pick up the pieces and suffer the ever increasing workload.

Sorry for all the rants, but its so frustrating and I can't see any resolution or recourse. Just have to bite my tongue and wait in line for what looks like the best part of a year for a new grant.

 

[Brand New]

I wasnt actually complaining,the FEO was a very nice chap who also seemed very efficient. I just have to be patient and thats fine by me. I can wait.

 

[westley]

Our local FEO called yesterday (funny name, I know !) regarding my renewal. He managed to sell one of my guns for me, now THAT is service.

 

[ips]

I'm also in Avon & Somerset area.  Old licence was due to expire on 2nd September so sent in renewal at the beginning of July.  Communicated via emails several times and always had a reply within hours.  New certificate arrived on 1st September - just in time!  I actually think they're doing a pretty good job - I was told they process more than 35000 applications/renewals a year - no idea what size their team is, but that's a lot to process.  And with having to contact the applicants doctor now, no wonder some delays happen. 

I remember my first shotgun certificate application, oh so long ago, filled in form at post office, sent off with fee etc., received certificate 2 weeks later.  Happy days!

yes and we kept the guns under the bed in those days. The father of My girlfriend of the time in early 80s had a purdey propped up in the corner of the kitchen permanently. I think it was a warning not to get her up the duff, to the best of my knowledge I did not ?

 

[danq]

never had problem in the past  my renewal os next year so be interestingto see what goes on

just a thought as a public service depy ?????  do they have an ombudsman or something similiar

 

[shredder]

Nicely wooded letter to the chief constable if they say my renewal is going to take that long 

 

[Brand New]

yes and we kept the guns under the bed in those days. The father of My girlfriend of the time in early 80s had a purdey propped up in the corner of the kitchen permanently. I think it was a warning not to get her up the duff, to the best of my knowledge I did not ?

I had a certificate when I was 15 and the FEO was quite happy that the gun was kept in my Granddads lockable wardrobe.

 

[westley]

Nicely wooded letter to the chief constable if they say my renewal is going to take that long 

That should carve out a 'niche' for you then !

 

[shredder]

That should carve out a 'niche' for you then !

People need to grow a pair. If you are paying for a service and it is taking that much time it's not acceptable. If people are happy waiting for 6 months plus good on them.

 

[ChrisPackham]

People need to grow a pair. If yuo are paying for a service and it is taking that much time it;s not acceptable. If people are happy waiting for 6 months plus good on them.

I agree, the thing is when you write (as I have to PCC, Chief Constable and ACPO) you don't even get a response, it illustrates the sheer contempt that the public sector has for its subjects, meal ticket,    customers.  There is no alternative but to suck it up and wait, I really hope they privatise the process, as shocking as crapita are they are much less worse than the current system, at the very least it shouldn't be a postcode lottery when its a national tariff.

Perhaps shotguns shouldn't be licensed, or once granted do not need to be renewed and reviewed unless circumstances change, that would cut down the backlog and hopefully deliver an acceptable service, it is clear the current system cannot cope.

 

[PMG 63]

It's the age old dilemma ,people don't/won't complain because they think it might go against a renewal or an issue.

pmg

 

[westley]

All of this renewal business is.  I feel,  a complete and utter waste of Police time AND Public money. If everything has remained the same, with maybe a few changes or additions to the number of guns, then WHY do the Police need to send someone to check ?  For God' sake, we are talking about what is probably the MOST LAW ABIDING section of the Community here,  each and EVERY transaction we are obliged to notify to our local Firearms Department, so they should be aware of every gun that we own or have sold since our last renewal. They should also be aware if we have exceeded the number, that our security cabinet is designed to hold and if that number is exceeded, THEN a visit to check the new security arrangements would be in order. Obviously, a visit will be required on an initial grant of a certificate and that could be reflected in the initial cost of the certificate. I can not understand why I am unable to take my old certificate to my nearest (still open !) Police Station, pay my renewal fee, get my receipt (which would suffice to buy ammunition, should the need arise) surrender my old certificate and await my new certificate by post. What the heck my Doctor has got to do with anything is beyond me, I rarely see mine anyway, BUT I would like to think that a simple notification of my having a Firearms/Shotgun Certificate should be sufficient grounds for him/her to notify the Police if I was to require medication, that COULD affect my suitability to have access to firearms.   To ask the Doctor in all cases if the applicant is a fit person to own guns is fraught with danger from the outset. I could be a fit person today, BUT who is to say what TOMORROW may bring, certainly NOT my Doctor.  It smacks a bit of finding a scapegoat as and when the brown stuff, hits the room cooling device.(civil lit. ?   :angel: ). This is why Doctors are reluctant to offer comment or even become involved.  Each time we have had a major shooting incident, it has mostly involved legitimate shooters and THEN the finger pointing starts. Bottom line being if someone in the relevant Force had had the sphericals to revoke the Certificate when the information first came to light (which in at least 2, cases was years before) the incidents may never have happened. (hindsight and all of that !!). Maybe the time has come to have a Civilian Firearms Department covering ALL  Force areas, a bit like the Motorways with the Highways Agency. It should consist of people who at least know what a gun looks like. 

PP

May I suggest the reason that you have never received a reply to your correspondence is probably because there was nobody left at the end of the chain, to pass it on to  !

 

[ips]

ah well now my feo who came out for my renewal in August said that if I had not informed them a few months earlier that I had repositioned my cabinet (therefore he needed to see it) he would have renewed over the phone.

 

[PMG 63]

It seems that N Yorks now pay a visit for all renewals,that said the service is first class.Some of the waiting times  from around the country I read about on here are mind boggling 

 

[MJJ]

If they can send out a temp certificate, why not a real one? I sent mine off in January for renewal, all you get is - we are dealing with it, it will be looked into soon  or i will look into it next week. My second temp runs out in Feb next year. Four years ago it was around 2 months in Essex and received on the day of expiry or before.  Suffolk is 2 - 4 weeks. Not much difference eh!

 

[ChrisPackham]

Comment about Essex in this weeks Shooting Times, it seems they are 30% worse than the shoddy timescales that ST reported.  I'm thinking my application will probably take a year, i had to notify FEO of change of guns this week and politely asked whilst writing or an update, the response was that they are processing February applications so i will be in for 'quite a wait'..

 

[MJJ]

Comment about Essex in this weeks Shooting Times, it seems they are 30% worse than the shoddy timescales that ST reported.  I'm thinking my application will probably take a year, i had to notify FEO of change of guns this week and politely asked whilst writing or an update, the response was that they are processing February applications so i will be in for 'quite a wait'..

They told me in September they were doing March. 

 

[ChrisPackham]

They told me in September they were doing March. 

The real issue here is that the is no national standard, people in Suffolk pay the same as Essex but apparently receive 12 times (according to ST letter) better service.

If there were a six week standard nationally ( how long can it really take, a day at most including visit?) after which the fee was discounted at 8 weeks and returned in its entirety at 10 weeks then these departments might sharpen up.

Public sector at its finest... what is crazy is that the technology exists to do 85% of this work online...