Licence costs.

[VicW]

On the BBC news this morning there was an article reference the cost of shotgun/firearm certificate/licences.

Apparently the police in general,I think it was the Association of Chief Police Officers ( ACPO),want the licence fee increased because they are making a considerable loss issuing them. They are mentioning doubling the costs.

This has been mentioned before but it has never been a newsworthy item until now.

If it is going to cost us in the order of £100 to take out or renew a licence then the the various police authorities/forces are going to have to get their act together and start offering a more efficient service.

It may,of course,be a back door attempt to reduce the number of licences.

Vic.

 

[classiusclay]

I am 5 months and still waiting..... I know a couple of people who can't be bothered too take the sport up because it takes so long to get a licence and have gone onto other sports so the

sport has potentially lost a least a couple of what might have been regular shooters, I wonder how many more have done this?   Oh and by the way I am close!

And the sad thing is, is that I would have paid £100 to get my licence quicker??!!

 

[chippy]

My FEO told me the present fee only covers 16% of the cost so it may be more than £100

 

[Hotshot100]

On the BBC news this morning there was an article reference the cost of shotgun/firearm certificate/licences.

Apparently the police in general,I think it was the Association of Chief Police Officers ( ACPO),want the licence fee increased because they are making a considerable loss issuing them. They are mentioning doubling the costs.

This has been mentioned before but it has never been a newsworthy item until now.

If it is going to cost us in the order of £100 to take out or renew a licence then the the various police authorities/forces are going to have to get their act together and start offering a more efficient service.

It may,of course,be a back door attempt to reduce the number of licences.

Vic.

I also heard about this at my local club this morning. I think the amount mentioned was £13,000,000 a mere drop in the ocean when divided by the amount of police forces in the country. Although it should be self financing the talked about doubling of the licence fee would turn it in to a profit making exercise.

How does £13 million compare to the cost of policing football matches or demonstrations? I would think that it pales in to insignificance.

 

[classiusclay]

My FEO told me the present fee only covers 16% of the cost so it may be more than £100

If someone from the said department phoned and told me that I could have my licence next week on payment of £200 I would pay....

 

[Hotshot100]

If someone from the said department phoned and told me that I could have my licence next week on payment of £200 I would pay....

Hang on in there. I know it.s a pain in the proverbial but it must be getting close now and it will be worth it when you get it.

 

[classiusclay]

I'M HANGING!

 

[Fuzrat]

I was debating this on Facebook with JB, as I said on there I would pay extra IF I was receiving better value for money. Wilts firearms (9 miles away from me) do everything online, be it gun/address change or just a query. Thames Valley (my one) still insist on posting forms registered delivery and queries you are on hold for days while HQ pass you round various departments and then return to the main switchboard.

I would be all for sub-contracting firearms licensing if we were going to get a standardised service across the forces but after G4S F-ing up the Olympics so badly maybe its not such a bright idea...   :fie:    

 

[Jan Powell]

I wouldn't get too depressed yet. It's a suggestion from ACPO, not the Home Office. Shrinking budgets have encouraged them to raise money wherever they can. If it weren't for this it probably wouldn't even be mentioned.

I'm struggling to see where the expense is? Many SGC renewals are done by phone now. If a visit is needed it's more often done by the local police officer rather than an FEO.

 

[DAG]

£50 sounds about right for what it actually is , if you start talking hundreds of pounds for one you might as well wear a skirt and rape me some more !!!!

 

[Salopian]

Could anyone tell me the cost of licensing a Mac for drive by shootings ????

Could anyone tell me the cost for protecting Muslim hate mongers ??

Could anyone tell me the cost for protecting Tony B Liar, and Gordon Brown??

Could anyone tell me the cost for policing cycle races, which congest our roads every Sunday at no income to the DVLA??

Why not increase the cost to £100 and make the licences valid for 10 years ??

What was the financial situation when I was paying 5 shillings at the Post Office and no cabinet, or home visit??

As anyone realised that all the firearms atrocities in the UK, Michael Ryan, Thomas Hamilton, Derek Bird, in fact everyone can be directly traced back to ineptitude by the Police authority. 

Perhaps ACPO ought to get their own house in order first.

 

[SoR]

I'd pay 100 quid for my licence provided they would give us a plastic card like driving licence and accept electronic comms, I appreciate that the money the police collect in from certs is lower than the money spent to police it. Lets see 50 quid for 5 years covers the visit to check my cabinet and issue the paper licence any other checks that need doing, hmmmmm

 

[Hotshot100]

Could anyone tell me the cost of licensing a Mac for drive by shootings ????

Could anyone tell me the cost for protecting Muslim hate mongers ??

Could anyone tell me the cost for protecting Tony B Liar, and Gordon Brown??

Could anyone tell me the cost for policing cycle races, which congest our roads every Sunday at no income to the DVLA??

Why not increase the cost to £100 and make the licences valid for 10 years ??

What was the financial situation when I was paying 5 shillings at the Post Office and no cabinet, or home visit??

As anyone realised that all the firearms atrocities in the UK, Michael Ryan, Thomas Hamilton, Derek Bird, in fact everyone can be directly traced back to ineptitude by the Police authority. 

Perhaps ACPO ought to get their own house in order first.

How right you are Peter. But then shooters ,like motorists ,are an easy target. On top of that I notice it's Auntie Beeb that have reported it and we know how impartial they are when it comes down to anything to do with shooting. :crazy: :spiteful:

 

[RobertBeard]

Just to confirm that one of Devon's senior firearms ex police officer civvies who also sits on a firearms committee at the Home Office has warned us about a forthcoming increase in cost that might be £90 or £95.  He didn't think it would be £100 but that's just his view so the above seems to be right.  

He also suggested that there might be a move in the future to licence shotgun clubs by the Home Office like target shooting clubs.  Evidently they want to police who is getting into shooting as there are suggestions that some potential terrorists might be either learning to shoot or learning where to access weapons and at present they don't know enough about shotgun clubs.  There was also a suggestion that MI5 might do a tour of the country to talk to clubs to find out if this as much a problem as has been suggested.

 

[Jan Powell]

He also suggested that there might be a move in the future to licence shotgun clubs by the Home Office like target shooting clubs. Evidently they want to police who is getting into shooting as there are suggestions that some potential terrorists might be either learning to shoot or learning where to access weapons and at present they don't know enough about shotgun clubs. There was also a suggestion that MI5 might do a tour of the country to talk to clubs to find out if this as much a problem as has been suggested.

Doubt that, not least because it would a bureaucratic nightmare. There are so many shooting clubs and grounds around the country ranging from the largest facilities to the smallest straw balers. Firearms Licensing departments are strapped for time as it is. Further ground inspections wouldn't be possible without an increase in staff and resources and that won't happen.

Also, lets not forget, many firearms licensing departments don't know what's going on as far as gun ownership is concerned. It wasn't unusual for my former county to contact local FLO's to find out who owned what as their own records were months, if not years out of date.

 

[RobertBeard]

It might never happen but it its a serious suggestion that has been tabled.

 

[VicW]

I'm struggling to see where the expense is? Many SGC renewals are done by phone now. If a visit is needed it's more often done by the local police officer rather than an FEO.

My last renewal with Lincs Police took ten days and no visit,I am about to find out what it is like now as my renewal is close.

Lincs Police have let a lot of their departments out to contract and use G4S and that includes Firearms Licensing although the staff are the same as before.

My last shotgun change was done on-line on the Lincs Police website but you don't get any confirmation that it has been received so I phoned them and was told that they don't have time to send you a receipt.

Vic.

 

[RobertBeard]

I did ask where the line would be drawn with the range of shooting shotguns from the individual to game syndicates, straw balers, clubs and registered grounds.  It seemed to be more clubs that there were interested in.  I suspect official shooting grounds are already known about through exemption certificates etc.

 

[RobertBeard]

My last renewal with Lincs Police took ten days and no visit,I am about to find out what it is like now as my renewal is close.

Lincs Police have let a lot of their departments out to contract and use G4S and that includes Firearms Licensing although the staff are the same as before.

My last shotgun change was done on-line on the Lincs Police website but you don't get any confirmation that it has been received so I phoned them and was told that they don't have time to send you a receipt.

Vic.

If its done online one would have thought that an automated email response could have been triggered on receipt or similar