An honest question?

[Leec6.5]

The main issue is, that they aren't getting on with it, instead of the process being made more efficient ,as is the way with virtually every industry or practice since time began, the process becomes more complex and problematic, and we are expected to be grateful for it and pay ever more to be f*&ked about

Personally I don’t worry about it, cost what it costs and once they have got it, I let them get on with it, as long as I’ve done everything my end it’s up to them to sort it out and complete their end.

I’m personally also not worried about price, if it goes up or down, if I want it, I pay the price!

It matters not to me if it was less years ago the fact that now it’s not less it’s more well that’s life!

 

[Heym SR20]

I will get shouted down by the usual suspects but when doing a first renewal or application put yourself in the shoes of the FEO.

Have a good read of the statutory guidance notes to police on Firearms Licensing. And in particular take note of the key questions they will be asking as to whether you are of good character and whether there is any public safety issue with holding and using high velocity rifles and other firearms in general.

Use any additional information piece to answer those key questions as best as you can and demonstrating that you fully competent. And keep it factual with key bits of evidence, rather than subjective. Police are trained to look at facts and evidence.

All this makes the whole process that much easier for the FEO. The information is in front of him / her to allow a decision to be taken.

A sparsely filled in form will require lots of additional questions being asked thus it goes on the “to do” pile to dealt with later.

 

[Mardler]

Every cert having to be signed by the Chief Constable is where I was told the "bottle neck" is.
My FEO has been spot on, pro-active, helpful - but I was told from day 1 of renewal process - 3 months before expiry - that I'd never get it back on time and would be automatic extension letter because of above.
So maybe not always the FEO 's fault or the applicants fault. Blame the system

 

[timbrayford]

I will get shouted down by the usual suspects but when doing a first renewal or application put yourself in the shoes of the FEO.

Have a good read of the statutory guidance notes to police on Firearms Licensing. And in particular take note of the key questions they will be asking as to whether you are of good character and whether there is any public safety issue with holding and using high velocity rifles and other firearms in general.

Use any additional information piece to answer those key questions as best as you can and demonstrating that you fully competent. And keep it factual with key bits of evidence, rather than subjective. Police are trained to look at facts and evidence.

All this makes the whole process that much easier for the FEO. The information is in front of him / her to allow a decision to be taken.

A sparsely filled in form will require lots of additional questions being asked thus it goes on the “to do” pile to dealt with later.

There's no statutory requirement on the FLD staff to have any relevant training whatsoever!

 

[Mike1979]

Its never going to be a straightforward answer and its wrong to assume that everyone who shoots is in the same financial situation.

If the fee for renewal went to £2k and the idea was "suck it up or give up shooting" where would we be as there are plenty who shoot plenty who couldn't afford such a hike. I appreciate that may be extreme but £2k per year over 5 years is less then a couple of nights away in a decent hotel these days. So surely thats a reasonable sum to pay to shoot...I think not.

The other thing is to consider what we get for the money. I appreciate there is an aspect of cost recovery but how far does this go? FEO wages, admin costs etc all have to be considered. Some forces are bigger then others so numbers of ticket holders per FEO comes into it.

Personally I have no issue with the current licence fee but I have always had decent service from Dyfed Powys.

As I said...not straightforward.