Notification of Transfer or Disposal

[P1Fanatic]

Last time I bought a new shotgun (and part ex’d my old one) about 3.5 years ago I posted off the necessary forms to Thames Valley Police and never heard anything so chased by phone and got a message to email them for non urgent issues. So I did and they replied saying nothing received but would take my email as notification of both changes. Great I thought that’s nice and easy for future reference.

So this time around I buy a new gun (another p/ex) and email them. I get an automated reply saying they would reply in 7 working days. I leave it 9 working days nothing. So I chase them this morning and get a curt reply saying they are busy as the dept gets 100 emails a day and can’t reply to everyone to confirm. So I am still none the wiser to whether they have processed my email and in the time it would take to do that they managed to type an email telling me they are busy.

I don’t think it’s asking too much to get a confirmation back (via post or email) so that you know your part is done and your SGC is correct – especially when failure to comply is punishable by a 6 months prison sentence or £2000 fine. So I am interested to know other peoples experiences with Thames Valley and other police forces when it comes to notifications of changes to your SGC. Do you just fire & forget or follow up for a confirmation?

 

[Sian]

Last time I bought a new shotgun (and part ex’d my old one) about 3.5 years ago I posted off the necessary forms to Thames Valley Police and never heard anything so chased by phone and got a message to email them for non urgent issues. So I did and they replied saying nothing received but would take my email as notification of both changes. Great I thought that’s nice and easy for future reference.

So this time around I buy a new gun (another p/ex) and email them. I get an automated reply saying they would reply in 7 working days. I leave it 9 working days nothing. So I chase them this morning and get a curt reply saying they are busy as the dept gets 100 emails a day and can’t reply to everyone to confirm. So I am still none the wiser to whether they have processed my email and in the time it would take to do that they managed to type an email telling me they are busy.

I don’t think it’s asking too much to get a confirmation back (via post or email) so that you know your part is done and your SGC is correct – especially when failure to comply is punishable by a 6 months prison sentence or £2000 fine. So I am interested to know other peoples experiences with Thames Valley and other police forces when it comes to notifications of changes to your SGC. Do you just fire & forget or follow up for a confirmation?

When I notified Met Police of my new gun (won at the Rizzoli comp) I did this by email and received a standardised email back saying that I was to take their response email as them confirming receipt.

 

[ChrisPackham]

Essex used to send an auto receipt saying that it should be taken as confirmation and acceptance.  HOWEVER they no longer send the automated response (quite why is beyond me) so one has not a flipping clue what they have (or more likely haven't) noted.  I have copies of the emails and copies of the summary of guns that i send them, every time there is a change (having duality of certificate with my Dad confuses them completely) i can only hope that this is suffiicent....

 

[ips]

I have always sent paperwork recorded delivery never had confirmation never had a problem and that's dozens and dozens of guns. But of course Lancashire feo have always been very reliable not like the stories you southerners post about six month renewals etc.

 

[Paul120]

Same as IPS never recieved(or expected) a receipt. I always thougt that as you should send it as recorded the receipt from the post office was all the proof you need. 

 

[Lord v]

I would send recorded/signed for delivery and keep a copy of the information you sent alongside proof of postage. I will also be keeping a print out of the PO record of delivery screen with the signature they received.

As much as email should be sufficient (and much more efficient) it very clearly isn't for some forces. I can't see that you can reasonably and practicably do more than the above. I'm sure as hell not going to jail for someone elses ineptitude.  

 

[P1Fanatic]

When I notified Met Police of my new gun (won at the Rizzoli comp) I did this by email and received a standardised email back saying that I was to take their response email as them confirming receipt.

I got the same but took that to simply mean they get the email not that someone actioned it.   I just checked and their reply does not even show my original email.

Maybe I am overthinking it as seems the norm to fire and forget.

 

[westley]

I just post hard copy (remember them ?) to be signed for and forget about it. Never received acceptance response yet, in either Lancs. or Merseyside. Both excellent Forces to deal with regarding Firearms. Then again their Chief served in both !

 

[P1Fanatic]

Registered / signed for mail just means they confirm they received something not the content. Something so simple has been made difficult because they can't be bothered to confirm anything back.

 

[westley]

I just post hard copy (remember them ?) to be signed for and forget about it. Never received acceptance response yet, in either Lancs. or Merseyside. Both excellent Forces to deal with regarding Firearms. Then again their Chief served in both Forces !

 

[PhilR]

I posted this on Pigeonwatch yesterday on a similar discussion. 

"I moved from TVP to Northants in June 2015, five months after notification Northants finally did an FEO visit.I discovered that the info passed over from TVP to Northants on what what shotguns I and my wife possessed was way out of date. Fortunately I had copies of every email notification I'd sent them regarding sales and purchases.TVP are IMO an absolute shambles."

 

[Rupert]

Had it twice here, once on a cabinet upgrade and again on a 7am random visit, FEO was cool, "happens all the time"

 

[Lord v]

Registered / signed for mail just means they confirm they received something not the content. Something so simple has been made difficult because they can't be bothered to confirm anything back.

True, but what else can you reasonably do?

 

[P1Fanatic]

True, but what else can you reasonably do?

Nothing I agree. I just find it bizarre that for shotgun licensing its such a blase process of just fire of a form and hope its received and processed correctly without ever knowing until you renew your SGC.

Is the process the same for FAC (I believe you have slots telling you what calibre you can have but I assume if you swap like for like there is no change to slots)?

 

[schmokinn]

Earlier this year i rang firearms to check something out and the lady read me a list of guns on my licence.

3 were missed off and i queried this i was asked if they were within the last 6 months and then told not to worry as they wouldn't have got round to it yet!

A few months later i had my renewal and when i was out shooting on a Sunday received a voicemail asking why i had listed guns that i had not informed them about?

This had been followed by a voicemail 30 minutes later saying not to worry....guess she had bothered to talk to my FEO who i had appraised of the situation.

Doesn't seem very joined up or professional..only going to get worse as another force is now taking over the firearms duties of our county and apparently have been doing the paperwork or not as the case may be for years!!

Never mind there only guns!!

 

[MEM62]

I moved from Surrey to Hampshire in April last year.  Made the appropriate notifications to each force both by email and by recorded delivery mail.  I have had no contact from Hampshire constabulary at all.  I was expecting some kind of contact, if not a visit.  My certificate runs out in the latter part of 2018 - I think I will get my renewal paperwork in nice and early.       

 

[Mikey]

I always send my notification of changes recorded delivery then down load a copy of the police receipt signature, although I have to say we seem to be lucky in North Yorkshire the firearms department are very helpful, I've occasion occasion when the recorded  delivery has'nt worked rang them and they checked manually that they had received it, by the way as you probably know most dealers have software that notifies the police automatically of the transaction although of course this not relieve you of your legal obligation to notify the police.

 

[Finners]

It is in essence a very simple process that cries out for a straightforward national data base. We each have a "PIN" ie our Certificate Number and/or NI Number and every gun also has a PIN, ie it's serial number. The only other numbers of any real interest are the dates involved. 

How difficult can it be to keep these data bases up to date? And why on earth can they not set up a secure portal to allow us to check our own records and provide notifications? 

 

[Jan Powell]

Blimey, it's simple. All you have to do when you purchase, sell, give or lend a shotgun is inform your local firearms licensing department in writing. That's it. What the police do from there on is their business, you've fulfilled your obligations as a certificate holder. Although forces do it differently they don't have to acknowledge your correspondence and nor do you have to chase it up. Just keep proof of your communication with them.