Nottinghamshire Police has apologised to shooters in the East Midlands for long delays in both the grant and renewal of firearm and shotgun applications. In an open letter to the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Nottinghamshire Police said the delays were partly due to internal and staffing problems and also due to more rigorous assessments of applications.
Nottinghamshire Constabulary has confirmed it has allocated more resources to firearms licensing and aims to be processing applications within twelve weeks by the end of 2013. It also intends to work closely with BASC to improve service delivery and overall efficiency to shooters in Nottinghamshire.
Bill Harriman BASC’s director of firearms said: “BASC welcomes Nottinghamshire Police’s honesty and determination to move beyond past problems by improving its service to both certificate holders and applicants. By adopting more streamlined and efficient licensing processes, Nottinghamshire will not only provide increased benefits to the shooting community but will also enhance public safety. We look forwards to working with them to achieve these goals”.
Whilst the force has made it clear that the vast majority of applications are not called into question, it says it will be paying close attention to anyone who fails to properly secure their guns, is involved in threats or acts of violence, has a history of alcohol or drug abuse or suffers serious mental health problems.
The full report of the Nottinghamshire Police briefing can be read here
For further information or advice please contact the Nottinghamshire Police firearms licensing team on 01623 483918 or the BASC firearms department on 01244 573 010