Gloucestershire Police Freeze FAC/SGC applications

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I can’t quite get my head around this statutory duty thing, I was of the understanding that failure to discharge a statutory duty by a public servant could constitute gross misconduct in a public office which is a criminal offence, given that may be the case why is someone at the top not being held to accountable criminally?
If you or I do not comply with firearm legislation we are prosecuted without fail.
 
Triggermortis said:
I can’t quite get my head around this statutory duty thing, I was of the understanding that failure to discharge a statutory duty by a public servant could constitute gross misconduct in a public office which is a criminal offence, given that may be the case why is someone at the top not being held to accountable criminally?
If you or I do not comply with firearm legislation we are prosecuted without fail.
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Unfortunately this falls down as both Chief and Dep chief are under investigation for just that 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
Jh1986 said:
Popped up on my news feed that the interim chief has now been suspended pending investigation.

Am I reading that right? Is that the interim for the last one that was suspended?
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I just had a news alert from the BBC that the interim chief of Devon and Cornwall has been suspended.

I’ve spoken to a few people who’ve worked with the interim CC at Gloucester and they all said she is a sensible and pragmatic senior manager. My sense is we’re better off with her than the last CC. The BBCs headline and comments on here about misogyny are a little misleading - she remains the national policing lead for violence against women and girls, as per (i understand) most CC are the national lead for something. It doesn’t follow at all that gender equality is her biggest concern in managing a police force.
 
Thanks to everyone that took the time to contact their MP and/or PCC office about this issue. Whilst there are still a few things to be followed up on, the update today from deputy PCC Nick Evans to those that contacted the PCC office is very good news and underlines the value of lots of people getting involved in a campaign.

Our Office has been informed by the interim Chief Constable that grant applications will now be reopened on 2nd December 2024.

Firearms licensing is a highly specialised role and one that requires tight statutory oversight. The Constabulary are recruiting new administrators, intelligence staff and Firearms License Officers to bring the team back up to strength. This will come with a lead time as they select suitable individuals, ensure appropriate vetting and then train them to perform the role. As these new people settle in to their roles, the Constabulary will continue to process renewals of existing licences and prioritise grants for those who need licences for occupational reasons.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely, and I hope this update is helpful.

Yours faithfully,

Nick Evans
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire
 
i am ever the pessimist 😊 just because they start accepting new grant applications dose not mean they will process them for some considerable time, if they have no qualified staff to do so. Accepting them just to end the criticism.
Time will tell.
 
Liveonce said:
i am ever the pessimist 😊 just because they start accepting new grant applications dose not mean they will process them for some considerable time, if they have no qualified staff to do so. Accepting them just to end the criticism.
Time will tell.

As you say....time will tell....so let's hold the "negative waves Moriarity" until there is evidence one way or the other. So in the immortal words of Oddball.....have a little faith...!
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Liveonce said:
i am ever the pessimist 😊 just because they start accepting new grant applications dose not mean they will process them for some considerable time, if they have no qualified staff to do so. Accepting them just to end the criticism.
Time will tell.
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We have emailed all BASC members in the force area today with an update on the deputy PCC communication and thanking members for their efforts in contacting MPs, the Chief Constable and the PCC. We have informed members that we are meeting with the Assistant Chief Constable on 5 Dec, and that we will continue to work closely with the constabulary to monitor progress and ensure the swift delivery of these improvements.
 
Liveonce said:
i am ever the pessimist 😊 just because they start accepting new grant applications dose not mean they will process them for some considerable time, if they have no qualified staff to do so. Accepting them just to end the criticism.
Time will tell.
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I'm not sure any of us are suggesting they're suddenly going to be delivering a stellar service, but at least this is a step in the right direction, and they have proven themselves responsive to, ahem, input.

The next logical step is to keep trying to hold them to account to resource the department sufficiently - interesting that they only had a team of 3 FEO's - I'd be interested to understand how that compares to other forces with similar quantities of certificate holders.
 
I mentioned Matt Bishop's support earlier in this thread. He is the Labour MP for Forest of Dean and tabled a written question in the House of Commons about firearms licensing issues in Gloucestershire.

His question was:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the suspension of firearm certificate grants by Gloucestershire Constabulary.

On 29 November the Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson answered:

Chief Constables have operational responsibility for consideration of firearms licensing applications and the allocation of resources to firearms licensing units. However, we expect police forces to ensure that all applications for firearm certificates, whether new applications or those for renewal, are dealt with as efficiently as possible subject to addressing public safety risks.


Today, the local weekly newspaper for Forest of Dean (The Forester) includes a parliamentary update from Matt Bishop and this features his support for our concerns and includes the statement that "This suspension has caused significant disruption for firearm owners in the Forest of Dean, including gamekeepers, farmers, and pest controllers. I raised this issue in the House of Commons and wrote to both Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Home Secretary, urging immediate action to address the delays”.

www.theforester.co.uk

The View from Westminster with Matt Bishop MP

It has been a busy few weeks for me across Parliament and the Forest of Dean. I have been contacted by many constituents sharing their frustrations with Gloucestershire Constabulary’s decision to suspend all new firearm license applications and the 24-month delay in processing existing ones...
www.theforester.co.uk www.theforester.co.uk

That's a positive endorsement about shooting that will be read mostly by people with no connection to shooting in the area.

This is what happens when the circa 1% get involved in BASC campaigns - PCC elections, general election, Gloucestershire campaign. It all adds up when some of us get involved.
 
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