Thames Valley Police - not issuing FACs

[Loki]

Hi

A chum has just had his telephone call regarding early application to renew his S/G certificate. No change in security since last so on its way to him.

L

 

[Kbuck]

Thanks all for your input. Just to add that I received the following advice from BASC:

"Unfortunately we currently have several forces who have taken the stance to suspend grant applications due to a number of reasons. This is obviously unacceptable but the need for the forces to prioritise renewals to ensure those with legally held guns stay legal is their current position. We are monitoring the situation and if anything changes, we will advise our members accordingly."

Kbuck

 

[Stalker62]

...We are monitoring the situation and if anything changes, we will advise our members accordingly."

Which means what exactly?

Do not try and answer that, it's rhetorical.

 

[20series]

Northants are the same, I put my renewal in November for February, my wife put in for her initial grant and was told that no new FAC's are being issued due to a backlog of renewals due to Covid and staff shortage as they were down to two FEO's until November.

Alan

 

[willie_gunn]

This from the latest BASC Live email: Firearms licensing: what you need to know - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation

This was the post from back in November related to North Yorkshire Police being in breach of their statutory duty: North Yorkshire Police in breach of statutory duty, says BASC - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Hopefully other members can post what the other shooting organisations are proposing to do about the current situation.

 

[Kbuck]

BASC quoted in todays Telegraph

Fingers crossed

 

[Ben_4321]

I'm looking to get my firearms licence and wrote to Thames Valley police noting I already had a shotgun certificate and they sent the following:

"Yes Grant application have been suspended. As you have a current shotgun certificate we will accept a paper format application. Please can you also put a full copy of your shotgun certificate with the application."

I've attached the PDFs they sent over. Hopefully if anyone is in the same position they can go via this route.

 

[Pedro]

It's simply unacceptable. There must be people who cannot take up jobs that need a firearms certificate because their police won't accept grant applications.

 

[Sinistral]

BASC quoted in todays Telegraph

Fingers crossed

View attachment 238586

Gosh.
I'm sure that the Telegraph report will have a decisive effect.
It's the same story in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, as all licensing is handled by Cambridgeshire HQ.
There seems to be a common theme developing here.

https://beta.cambs.police.uk/ar/applyregister/fao/af/apply-firearm-shotgun-explosives-certificate/

 

[8x57]

Perhaps this is the start of the police disposing of some more duties. Do you remember when they once dealt with stray dogs, lost property, parking in towns, patrolling the motorway. Some forces absolved themselves from all those duties some years ago. Perhaps they are now looking for a way out of administering firearms licensing. Funny that as many forces were dead against the idea some years ago when someone in the Home Office put forward a case for setting up a national firearms licensing organisation.

 

[Eddie P]

What happens if you send in the application, then when they return it go through the legal refusal route.