Firearms Licensing - Answers to questions we feel are of upmost importance to you
This is something we have invested significant resources into in recent months. A number of factors have led to these delays. The Covid pandemic had an impact on staffing and the ability to visit certificate holders. The critical incident in Plymouth has had an impact on staff as well. Crucially, the revised firearms licensing statutory guidance requires much more of both applicants and police services – such as provision of doctors` letters by the applicant, enhanced checks for the police and more robust guidance generally.
PLEASE remember, it is the applicants responsibility to contact their GP and ensure that the GP has submitted the letter on the applicants behalf. This action will really help us reduce delays.
Currently due to a number of factors, including new statutory guidance, the delays for renewals are usually between 9 months and 12 months. There are some exceptions in complex cases.
For grants, we prioritise applications related to livelihood and usually process these within 9 to 12 months. However, we did suspend granting licences during Covid and we are going through a process of reviewing some dated livelihood applications which we know go well over 6 months.
We are currently working through grant applications received in 2020 that are not related to livelihood. The continuance of wider work and staffing enhancements, will enable us to reduce that timeframe.
This will improve service provision and our data quality, which will enable us to produce more accurate information which we will update here.
We are sorry that on occasions the service we provide in this area is not what we would want. We are taking steps to improve the situation.
- We have recruited additional resources and these are arriving after vetting in May/June.
- We have amended our processes to triage cases
- We have changed our tasking processes to focus on renewals and grants.
- We are dedicating resources to call certificate holders whose temporary certificates are expiring in the next 28 days to update them and deal with the matter whenever possible.
- We are working with our stakeholders to provide regular updates regarding, the factors that contribute to our current position, what we are doing about it and re emphasise the practical things that can help
We have invested and continue to invest, additional temporary resources to meet the demand. We are also launching new projects to make firearms licensing safer and provide a better service to applicants. Process automation for some administrative functions begins in June, which will enable us to become more efficient. We are starting migration across to the single online home in August – this will enable a more consistent and better service. Finally, from November we will move to a new records management system. This system enables more effective and better co-ordinated management of firearms licensing.
We are also demand modelling to build a business case for a safe, sustainable, world class firearms and explosives licensing unit as the next phase.
Please return your renewal application online as soon as you can or as soon as you receive your renewal letter and in any event, more than 8 weeks prior to the renewal date. This will enable us to ensure you remain covered. We do our best to prioritise cases particularly for business need.
We do now try to call certificate holders whose temporary permits are coming up for renewal so we can reassure them that they are still covered and where possible renew
Please only call us if absolutely necessary as we will be in touch and calls take us away from our renewals and grant work.
As is detailed on the Firearms Licensing area of the Devon and Cornwall Police website you must apply more than eight weeks prior to the expiry of your certificate(s) for an automatic extension. If outside of this timeframe then you must contact the Firearms Licensing Unit by email to enquire.
Yes, however, only section 2 shotgun ammunition – (S5(1) of the 1988 Act allows the holder of a S7 permit to purchase section 2 shotgun ammunition.)
Once we have revoked a licence this decision can’t be reversed by the department; this can only be done by lodging an appeal with the court. The revocation notice contains the reasons why we have felt it necessary to revoke your licence. It also contains details of your right to appeal this decision for which you have 21 days to lodge your intention to appeal. We can discuss the appeal process if you are unsure.
Information or intelligence may well have been received since your suitability was last assessed and this would be taken into account.
Importantly, from the 1st November 2021 new Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers, was introduced. This has been some time in coming and is far more robust, you may wish to refer to Guidance to Police
The Police have a responsibility to protect both the licence holder and the general public. There are numerous scenarios that could lead to the Police asking the licence holder to surrender their Guns. This could be as a result of the police receiving credible intelligence about the licence holder or the storage of the Guns. Also, if an incident where the Police have attended involves the licence holder or an incident happens at the licence holders address, or where the licence holder stores their Guns, then in the interest of public safety, the Police might ask the licence holder to voluntarily hand over their licence and guns while the incident is looked into.
Where a chief officer has serious concerns about a certificate holder’s continued access to firearms, prompt action is to be taken to ensure no preventable harm is caused to public safety. This may involve the certificate holder being invited to surrender their firearms voluntarily pending a review of their continued suitability. If voluntary surrender is not possible, powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) in England and Wales or, in Scotland, common law powers to seize firearms in circumstances of significant danger to the safety of the public, may allow firearms to be seized in appropriate circumstances. When firearms are surrendered or seized, ammunition and the certificate should also be seized, and a receipt and photograph provided detailing the firearms, accessories and ammunition removed.