I have read all the comments and perhaps pertinent to repeat an earlier comment.
BASC's proposal is about setting up an independent regulatory body to oversee the firearms licensing function carried out by each police force in England and Wales to ensure that this function is being consistently and effectively carried out – not to replace the firearms licensing function of the police but rather having oversight of that function and holding police forces to account where there are failings.
In our submission we highlighted the following:
- Provide adequate fiscal and human resources for its Firearms Licensing Units (FLUs).
- Employ properly trained, expert staff within those units.
- Abolish non-standard administrative practices which fall outside the Home Office Statutory Guidance, 2021.
- Achieve consistency of administrative practice which conforms to the Home Office document; “Firearms Licensing: Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police.” (2021
- Adopt a risk-assessed and managed licensing regime as opposed to a risk-averse one.
- FLUs should be subject to Service Level Agreements.
- Incorporate proper mechanisms for stakeholder involvement and feedback.
- FLUs must be answerable to a central policy unit (akin to the Forensic Science Regulator). This unit must have statutory powers to compel compliance.
- Firearms Licensing Units must be inspected as part of a force’s PEEL inspection.
- Regional co-operation and eventual amalgamation between FLUs should be strongly promoted.
Click link below to read the full submission
First, such a regulatory body, when challenging a Chief Con over practice would meet the " I am allowed to do what I think is appropriate for my area - my area is different from others." - Two thoughts spring from this, first you have to remove the absolute interpretive opportunity for a Chief Constable.
You do that by removing the function or allowing no interpretation as in STATUTORY Guidance for which any departure would result in a successful challenge. (BASC need some help with Judicial review).
There always exists the opportunity to move resources if the function remains with a larger organisation where there are other critical objectives - Firearms Licensing has to be a single function and best away from the Police in my view.
You talk of massive culture change in the Police - compare this with how women police struggle, equality isn't the best, male (police) criminals go unpunished, as we have seen.
So you need a new culture and a new screening process - points very firmly to a new organisation.
Internal service level agreements are managed internally and from experience become extremely 'flexible' whilst missing the initial point of the 'service' wording.
The Police do not and will not accept stakeholder involvement - they call police fora, "community involvement" but, again in my experience these fora degenerate to the Police listening, making the small changes like where some resources are allocated but otherwise do nothing.
The idea of a central policy unit is flawed in that it is 'internal', either within the force or within the government of the police service - there will always be other priorities the Chief Constable will need to address and thus central policy becomes the 'will' of the Chief Con.
'Inspection' is not good enough by existing means - would descrimination against women still be an issue, liaison and action with local councils ?
You have seen how the police 'service' changes itself to keep the same, ACPO and NPCC - one and the same.
The police service is feudal and now partly paramilitary and still government has not properly got to grips with how to remain in control of Police 'Services' whilst ensuring local accountability.
Police services remain the Fiefdoms of Chief Constables who act as a second level of political control - NPCC e.g. so regional control and amalgamation will bring in to play the combined worst of two Chief Constables - not necessarily the 'best of both worlds'.
I believe the POLICE want to do a good job, they however do not have the training which is in a single budget - where would Chief Constable's priorities lie. I don't believe they are properly resourced within what has been made available for the purpose - virement from one budget head to another is commonplace - strikes/terrorism/and so forth mean that FL which results in few (and maybe 'acceptable') problems ARE DOWN THE QUEUE.
So, the future is grab more resources (as ever), mismanage training budgets (as far as we are concerned) continue to interpret loose rules to tighten areas where resources are thin.
BASC policy here is absolutely WRONG. This is not the way to improve licensing for either the public or honest legitimate shooting people.
WE need an independent SERVICE which has a fixed budget, has trained staff and statutory GUIDANCE which is NOT open to interpretation or flexibility. It needs to be outside the 'control' of the police with its own standards regulatory body - We also need the facility and the WILL for shooting orgs to make accountability stick through the courts of law (JUDICIAL REVIEW -sadly lacking).
This is one service to a relatively small group of almost exclusively honest, hard-working, law-abiding people who are the kind of people you might want as friends. Let us make Shooting highly regarded and apply high standards by agreement with shooting people. Has anyone ever achieved that recently ? N.B. YOU WONT ACHIEVE THAT WHILST POORLY TRAINED POLICE ARE MANAGED FOR A WIDER RESPONSIBILITY UNDER POLITICAL CONTROL as part of a fiefdom which manages their promotion prospects as part of ensuring all are 'on - message'.
It seems conclusive to me - a new single agency, maybe housed and paying 'rent' in local police buildings but absolutely out of Police overall control under a Secretary of State's responsibility. I cannot see how BASC can support their position when Chief Constables have clearly stated they want to see guns removed from all civilians. Better they focus their minds directly on removing the guns from law- breakers and that very real threat to "public safety."
Come on BASC show some leadership not more of the same.
God help us.
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