Dorset firearms licensing , had to write to MP

teyhan1

Well-Known Member
I know police look at this forum so I hope this gets through.
My license went in for renewal about the beginning of August. I have held a license for 20 years without any problems and now this. I still don't have a license although I have been told it has been issued.

Dear Robert Walter,
I have never felt the need to write to my MP before but feel I have
little choice as I feel that Dorset Firearms Licensing is in such
disarray as to make the system a farce.
I am an avid rifle shooter and some of my income is derived from rifle
shooting as a deer stalker. My firearms license was due for renewal on
14/9/2012. Knowing that some constabularies were experiencing backlogs
I sent my renewal forms back in 1 week after receiving them. This meant
that the Police dept had the forms for 7 weeks prior to my renewal
date. I then waited and 2 weeks before my renewal was due, was
contacted by .................... the local firearms licensing officer to
arrange a visit to check security and meet me. This meeting went
without any problems. I then waited for my license to arrive. I started
to become anxious when with only 2 working days to go until my license
expired I still had no continuation. Having read via the BASC website
about what I should do I contacted Dorset Firearms and was told that
they did not have ............ paperwork and that he was on holiday for 2
weeks. I then was told that it was okay to have my firearms in my
cabinet as long as I left them there. THIS IS ILLEGAL. And I told them
so! They insisted it was okay but I told them I wanted a section 7
temporary permit. They said that they would put one in the post. IT DID
NOT ARRIVE UNTIL THE MONDAY. This left me in a situation of breaking the
law as I did not have a certificate. Strangely then on the Friday before
Mr ............ returned from holiday I got a phone call saying my license
was ready. That's odd I said I thought you didn't have the paperwork.
Plus I wanted to talk to Mr ............ about a change to the application.
The day after Mr ............... returned to work I had a conversation with
him about adding a .243 rifle to my license. No problem he said. AND
HIS PAPERWORK SHOWS IT. Then another 12 days elapse until once again
there are 2x working days left to the expiry of the temporary permit.
So I text ............... and tell him that my section 7 license is
about to expire and still I don't have a license. He phones Dorset
Firearms who say they're going to post it. ONCE AGAIN MY LICENSE
EXPIRES AND I'M LEFT BREAKING THE LAW. When my license arrives on the
Monday 15/10/2012 it has NO .243 rifle. I then phone ..................... who
confirms that it s on his paperwork. Later I then phone Julie Walsh of
Dorset firearms licensing who says she didn't have any record of it.
SOMEONE IS LYING. Julie Walsh then says that if I post my license then
she'll put it on there as shes spoken to .......... and it's okay. I say
I'll bring it down it'll be faster than the post and she replies that
it won't be. Really, yes she says because we only get 1x delivery of
mail per day from the head office. But she guarantees that when she
gets it she will do it then and put it straight back in 1st class mail.
So I duly post my license paying extra for guaranteed delivery on the
Wednesday 17/10/12 because I am supposed to be culling deer on a deer
park on the Thursday and have yet to collect my rifle and zero it in.
What Julie Walsh failed to tell me was that the post takes 1x day to
travel the 400yds from headquarters to the firearms building. SO POSTING
YOUR LICENSE IS NOT QUICKER. ANOTHER LIE. So here I am on Thursday
18/10/2012 supposed to be culling deer and losing money because I am
not. Having entered my license in plenty of time ( 7 weeks prior to
renewal). Admittedly I did make a change or at least try to make one,
but that was 2 weeks before my renewal was due. I have been asked to
break the law, I have been put in a position where I have broken the
law and I feel as if I have been lied to or at least not been told the
whole truth. AND I STILL DON'T HAVE A LICENSE

I've left out some names, just because.
 
Might have been a good idea to include the chief constable in the loop as well as BASC teyhan. Would have been interesting to see what he had to say.
I have had variations held up for weeks waiting for a signature of one CC.
sinbad
 
Might have been a good idea to include the chief constable in the loop as well as BASC teyhan. Would have been interesting to see what he had to say.
I have had variations held up for weeks waiting for a signature of one CC.
sinbad

Kinda hoping the MP will take it up with the CC. Not a member of BASC
 
They are on massive backlog due to the olympics They qoted me 4-6mths for a new application

i would hope they do renuals as a prioraty
 
I share your sentiments, teyhan, i have been waiting nearly 3 months for a 1 for 1 variation, however i think your letter is far too long, i sincerely doubt your MP will read all of it.
Short and to the point is much more effective.

Ian.
 
Might have been a good idea to include the chief constable in the loop as well as BASC teyhan. Would have been interesting to see what he had to say.
I have had variations held up for weeks waiting for a signature of one CC.
sinbad
I would also send a copy to The Home Secretary Theresa May MP, in bold capital letters, this always works in my experience, she will then delegate it down over with the requiste outcome Good Luck PS JOIN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IMEDDIATELY, BASC, BDS, OR NGO
 
They are on massive backlog due to the olympics They qoted me 4-6mths for a new application

i would hope they do renuals as a prioraty

silly question but why should the olympics affect licensing?

On a side note Herts have always been very good and a mate has just posted his renewal a fortnight ago, had a call within a week which is all they do now to confirm all details and that storage arrangements haven't changed and that is it done license should be in the post shortly and well before his old one expires. Changing the system so that if you aren't asking for anything difficult and haven't any issues seems so simple, the process of visiting every time seems pretty out dated in this day and age of cost savings.
 
I would also send a copy to The Home Secretary Theresa May MP, in bold capital letters, this always works in my experience, she will then delegate it down over with the requiste outcome Good Luck PS JOIN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IMEDDIATELY, BASC, BDS, OR NGO

+1 on the last point of advice.. or join SACS who had a little word with my FLD and managed to speed the whole thing up and I got mine back in time. I too wrote to MP PLUS chief constable PLUS BASC PLUS SACS...
As a addition if you're not BASC etc then with whom do you hold insurance.. vital in these days of litigation in my view?

Regards

Fraser
 
Always thought the team at Dorset were a great bunch

Ofcourse we can all only speak as we find.

Having had my cert revoked the cc Mr Whitting and all his team including Julie were professional throughout and im greatfull having had it returned

Ive travelled down and had variations done while ive waited after making an appointment

Hope it all comes good for you bud, i dont think the level of service youve recieved is representative of the whole department

Terry
 
silly question but why should the olympics affect licensing?

On a side note Herts have always been very good and a mate has just posted his renewal a fortnight ago, had a call within a week which is all they do now to confirm all details and that storage arrangements haven't changed and that is it done license should be in the post shortly and well before his old one expires. Changing the system so that if you aren't asking for anything difficult and haven't any issues seems so simple, the process of visiting every time seems pretty out dated in this day and age of cost savings.


As i posted on another similar thread

Dorset had the Weymouth Olympics venue for the offshore sailing they had a leave bann before during and just after to cover it and pulled most of the FEO team off desk jobs to help cover the venue

I nearly volunteered as a Diver to to help with the underwater sweep of the harbour

I guess they are still recovering the backlog and the increased leave requests that they can't really say no to after a big blanket leave ban Dorset FEO is only small and from what i've heard over the years are one of the best for being helpful and understanding of unusual requests and pretty good on processing speeds. was a few years back but they used to send out an apology not long now letter if you had over 2 weeks wait
Dorset Plod is a low Cash county force hell we don't have a single motorway for the traffic guys to get up to speed on :lol:

I would hope that they are doing renewals quicker as a priority.

ATB

Duncan
 
+1 on the last point of advice.. or join SACS who had a little word with my FLD and managed to speed the whole thing up and I got mine back in time. I too wrote to MP PLUS chief constable PLUS BASC PLUS SACS...
As a addition if you're not BASC etc then with whom do you hold insurance.. vital in these days of litigation in my view?

Regards

Fraser

I have my insurance with Countryside Alliance. Got fed up with BASC or BDS.
 
Always thought the team at Dorset were a great bunch

Ofcourse we can all only speak as we find.

Having had my cert revoked the cc Mr Whitting and all his team including Julie were professional throughout and im greatfull having had it returned

Ive travelled down and had variations done while ive waited after making an appointment

Hope it all comes good for you bud, i dont think the level of service youve recieved is representative of the whole department

Terry

Hi Terry. Unfortunately they have changed site. I too used to go down and get any bits done whilst I waited. Now they're on a secure site and you can't get in, or at least that's what I've been told. They used to be really good and I used to sing their praises. I don't know what could have gone wrong in the last 2 years since my last variation.
And today is Monday and I still have don't have my license. So as I didn't sign my last one ( the one I returned ) I guess I've been breaking the law for 8 days now and counting..............
 
have you read firearms law guidance to the police if not you should
10.31 I hope the feo takes it easy on you
 
As i posted on another similar thread


Happy to be proven wrong but as I understand it the majority of the FLD are civilian clerks. They used to be ex-serving police but now it seems they can come in from any other background (experience with shooting or firearms not nessasary). So what use would they have for FLD in Policing the olypics? ...or have I missed something?
 
Hi Terry. Unfortunately they have changed site. I too used to go down and get any bits done whilst I waited. Now they're on a secure site and you can't get in, or at least that's what I've been told. They used to be really good and I used to sing their praises. I don't know what could have gone wrong in the last 2 years since my last variation.
And today is Monday and I still have don't have my license. So as I didn't sign my last one ( the one I returned ) I guess I've been breaking the law for 8 days now and counting..............

You can go in if you need to. I have been in to collect my license by hand. Have only been in Dorset for a few years so haven't really had much dealings with them but my renewal is coming up in the not so distant future...... ......wait out!
 
have you read firearms law guidance to the police if not you should
10.31 I hope the feo takes it easy on you

My understanding is that you only sign something when you have read it and agreed with it. If you don't agree with it then return it and get what you want. If you sign it they don't have to change anything as you have agreed to it by signing it.
 
You can go in if you need to. I have been in to collect my license by hand. Have only been in Dorset for a few years so haven't really had much dealings with them but my renewal is coming up in the not so distant future...... ......wait out!

My friend has just had his renewal. We were joking with the feo the other day that maybe he should put in for his now:rofl:
 
My friend has just had his renewal. We were joking with the feo the other day that maybe he should put in for his now:rofl:
have you either got your new certificate, or a sec 7 certificate yet, if not why not. and what are you doing about it??????. have you written immediately to the Home Secretary, if not why not, if you have your guns removed, and you can prove that you have actively, & robustly atemepted to get things done, then this will be powerful evidence against any action the Police take against you, you must get things done NOW......... keep the SD Forum up to date, this is an important issue to us all Good Luck


patrickt
 
At the moment I am doing nothing. I am fed up wasting my time speaking to them. I have phoned them, I have phoned the FEO, I have written to my MP, my friend (who owns the deer park) has phoned them, he has also phoned the FEO.
If they want they can come and take my guns as I don't have a license. And then I'll sue their asses off. I have tried every avenue and when I fnally get my license I will be making a complaint to the polce complaints commission.
 
Happy to be proven wrong but as I understand it the majority of the FLD are civilian clerks. They used to be ex-serving police but now it seems they can come in from any other background (experience with shooting or firearms not necessary). So what use would they have for FLD in Policing the olympics? ...or have I missed something?


swot i was told by i assume Julie as far as I know they are police officers so can be used as such for normal duties they aren't a large dept and for years I've heard nothing but good things about them thru the shooting club i used to be part of and is a large one with a diverse range of shooting so they deal with a lot of odd requests etc

I also know from my mate in Hants Police that Dorset Force are basically bankrupt with little or no cash about to waste which is why he never wanted a transfer

So currently I'm willing to accept that they have a problem thats not their making or fault with little they can do so I will wait to put in my Application and try not make the problem worse
And hopefully let them try and get the renewals sorted as they are important to do quickly as this thread shows

ATB

Duncan
 
Back
Top