Strength in numbers does make a difference

On 2 December Gloucestershire Constabulary lifted a freeze on new grant applications and recruitment is under way for more staff to support its firearms licensing department (see p6). Four weeks earlier the force had announced the suspension of new applications for firearm and shotgun certificates on the grounds of “unexpected resourcing issues” and added that applications already received would take a minimum of 24 months to be processed (News, 20 November). 

It transpired that the firearms licensing department only had three firearms enquiry officers (FEOs) and when one quit and another went on sick leave, that left one person covering around 13,000 certificate holders. Several intertwined factors and events helped rescue a dire situation for prospective certificate holders and those in the queue for renewals. 

Within days of the announcement, BASC had briefed all Gloucestershire MPs asking them to raise the matter with the new Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). BASC emailed more than 3,000 members in Gloucestershire with a call to action, resulting in busy inboxes for the PCC and local MPs as they rallied to the cause. We also informed the Home Office that a statutory function was not being discharged, requesting that the Policing Minister be informed. 

In the days and weeks ahead, members kept us updated on replies to their concerns. There was a flurry of meetings at all levels; and local Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs all got involved in various ways, adding pressure for action to be taken. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, a vice-president of BASC, was the first to meet with the Chief Constable to raise our concerns. 

Delays 

Cameron Thomas, Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury, informed concerned members that he had spoken with members of the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel — a body that can hold the PCC to account. Matt Bishop, Labour MP for the Forest of Dean, also wrote to the Home Secretary, urging action to address the delays and tabled a written question in the House of Commons. 

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.” 

The Chief Constable, assistant Chief Constable, PCC and deputy PCC acted on the concerns being raised and a communication was sent to all members who had contacted the PCC office, explaining that the grants freeze was being lifted and that the force was recruiting new administrators, intelligence staff and FEOs. 

But that’s not the end of the matter. It will still take time for the new staff to be recruited and trained and for the backlogs to be cleared. Meanwhile, priority is being given to those applicants requiring certificates for professional purposes. BASC’s firearms team has now met several times with the force and a commitment has been made to give progress updates every three months on the firearms licensing section of the force’s website. 

The BASC members who acted in Gloucestershire made a difference not only during this campaign but during the PCC elections and the general election. The PCC and MPs all received correspondence from members about the importance of shooting in their constituency when they were candidates standing for election. It all adds up when some of us get involved.