UPDATE: TVP FAC/SGC Renewals

[oxfordshirestalker]

I was told by the last outgoing FEO that Renewals are being processed ahead of Variations, and new FAC/SGC grants are even further down the list... My neighbour's arrived last month having taken 8 months to process, so they've not been clearing the backlog very fast.

Probably not the feedback you were hoping for

Not ideal at all, can only hope that mine magically falls on the right persons desk. Think it's definitely down to who ends up dealing with your application.

My SGC was disintegrated so sent that back and they dealt with that pretty quickly so I can only hope!

 

[nicowilson]

Sorry to hear everyone's trouble. Has anyone got any recent experience of FAC grant times with Thames valley? If anyone has an up to date idea of waiting times that would be brill. Thanks

Submitted April 2015. Cabinet inspection November 2015. FAC granted March 2016.

 

[oxfordshirestalker]

Submitted April 2015. Cabinet inspection November 2015. FAC granted March 2016.

Ouch! Here's hoping.

 

[I. Farticus]

Submitted April 2015. Cabinet inspection November 2015. FAC granted March 2016.

I'll edit my post as the process was even longer than I'd thought!!!!!!!!!!

 

[B&W FOX]

I've got my polling card here for the Election of the next Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Area.
The election is on 5th May 2016
Information on who is standing will be available from on or around (their words) 13th April
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-and-crime-commissioners-publications
I think we will need to vet the bunch and choose ourselves a Pro Shooting candidate......seeing that the licensing department is disappearing down the pan fast....May be BASC would like to quiz them on our behalf...... I've just seen a pig fly past the window.

 

[nicowilson]

I'll edit my post as the process was even longer than I'd thought!!!!!!!!!!

Had I known it would have taken nearly 11 months I'd have submitted the forms when I started working for my DSC1 rather than wait until I'd passed.

 

[kes]

Not wishing to raise the spectre of Org Bashing - when will they all get together and start running a list of police authority failures in Licensing ? It may not be the best thing diplomatically but I have to say I know we are well past hoping and should now start to demand our reasonable rights on this and other issues. How long would it take to knock up a questionnaire under FOI Act and start a league table. Credit to those who are delivering - public exposure for those consistently failing ?
Apologies to the OP for 'distraction' from the thread.

 

[I. Farticus]

Apologies to the OP for 'distraction' from the thread.

No apologies needed as this is a valid point and worth a follow up. Shooting Times published an article a couple of years ago along these lines, so I'll see if I can dig it out.

It could be an interesting article for the new Rifle Shooter magazine, so I'll ping a message to Dom Holtham and see what appetite he has

 

[Essex stalker]

I've got my polling card here for the Election of the next Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Area.
The election is on 5th May 2016
Information on who is standing will be available from on or around (their words) 13th April
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-and-crime-commissioners-publications
I think we will need to vet the bunch and choose ourselves a Pro Shooting candidate......seeing that the licensing department is disappearing down the pan fast....May be BASC would like to quiz them on our behalf...... I've just seen a pig fly past the window.

I found details of the Essex Candidates online along with their email addresses, I'm planning to email them all asking what there views are and what they would do about the current delays in Essex

 

[I. Farticus]

I can only talk to the TVP numbers, but this report is utter rubbish:
http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shootin...-your-shotgun-and-firearms-certificates-47904

It states 9 weeks for a new FAC grant, and 6weeks for a renewal whereas, back in the real world, it's 11 months and 6 months

Link to the HMIC report itself:
https://www.justiceinspectorates.go...ads/firearms-licensing-targeting-the-risk.pdf

 

[willie_gunn]

I can only talk to the TVP numbers, but this report is utter rubbish:
http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shootin...-your-shotgun-and-firearms-certificates-47904

It states 9 weeks for a new FAC grant, and 6weeks for a renewal whereas, back in the real world, it's 11 months and 6 months

Those figures were collected pre fire and pre flood.

 

[I. Farticus]

Those figures were collected pre fire and pre flood.

Which were (this time) October last year though Dom, and TVP should have thrown manpower at the problem, which they clearly didn't and have no plans to

Edited with correct date, apologies but nonetheless, Nico's FAC Grant paperwork was submitted in April, some 6 months before the flood

 

[willie_gunn]

Which were this time last year though Dom, and TVP should have thrown manpower at the problem, which they clearly didn't and have no plans to

My point was that it is inaccurate to look at a report produced before the fire/flood, compare the times for renewal then with the times now, and state on that basis that "this report is utter rubbish". When the report was produced those figures may well have been accurate.

The fire and flood undoubtedly had an impact.

It would be more interesting to have the accurate figures for the time taken to grant/renew FAC/SGC's over, say, the last year. Then we could more accurately measure the degradation in service.

 

[I. Farticus]

Agreed

 

[nicowilson]

I've got my polling card here for the Election of the next Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Area.
The election is on 5th May 2016
Information on who is standing will be available from on or around (their words) 13th April
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-and-crime-commissioners-publications
I think we will need to vet the bunch and choose ourselves a Pro Shooting candidate......seeing that the licensing department is disappearing down the pan fast....May be BASC would like to quiz them on our behalf...... I've just seen a pig fly past the window.

The information on the candidates is available here:

https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/area/thames-valley

None of them refer to Firearms Licensing although the current incumbent, a Mr Antony Stansfeld, has been in the Army

All of them are on Twitter so I've asked them what they'll be doing to help improve the turnaround time for firearms licensing.

 

[nicowilson]

All of them are on Twitter so I've asked them what they'll be doing to help improve the turnaround time for firearms licensing.

First to respond is Antony Stansfield, who says:

I've just put two more people in the Firearms Licensing team to help clear the backlog

Here's the link to the conversation on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/StansfeldPCC/status/720350797763121152

 

[B&W FOX]

Thank you for the update.
Strange how the current PCC Antony Stansfield, who just so happens to be up for re-election has only just decided to employ two more people for the firearms department to help clear the back log..........
And this back log has been going on for how long ????????????

Had an interesting conversation with a proprietor of a gun shop today and he said that because of the shear back log on renewals and variations of licences,the sale of firearms has plummeted and a lot of owners are not prepared in taking the risk of putting in for a variation due to the timescale it could take.

 

[oxfordshirestalker]

Just been told that they can't give me a timescale for completion - renewals are being processed ahead of grants (which is fair enough) but given that renewals are taking months it could be a fair old while!

 

[nicowilson]

Next response is from John Hewson, who replied with:

tell me more about what you see as the problem

My response was:

backlog caused by fire and flood - am surprised you don't know about it

Here's the link to the conversation:

https://twitter.com/NicoWilson/status/720524209961705473

 

[kennyc]

Next response is from John Hewson, who replied with:



My response was:



Here's the link to the conversation:

https://twitter.com/NicoWilson/status/720524209961705473

While I was waiting I was told they had suffered a 30% drop in staff and we're also trying to fill several positions I would think that would be more of an impediment than the fire and flood !