BASC blasts licensing failures

Martin Parker, BASC’S head of firearms, has called for police forces to declare a critical incident as they fail to cope with the demands of the firearms licensing system.

The call comes as a report from BASC shows that waits to have a certificate issued vary from 40 working days by

Hertfordshire Constabulary to 178 working days by Cumbria Constabulary.

Costs also showed huge variations, with Avon and Somerset Police saying it costs them £87 to process an application and Durham Constabulary citing a cost of £522.

Parker said: “The failings across firearms licensing are symptomatic of wider police failures being seen across the board. This is not a new issue, but an ongoing problem compounded by a failure to adequately cope with challenges brought by the pandemic.

“There are still several forces delivering an excellent service and clearly demonstrating good practice that could be emulated. Unfortunately, we are receiving record numbers of complaints regarding delays from the rest.”

Shooting Times has continued to receive reports of delays and failures involving licensing teams, including a woman being refused a certificate because she had previously had a violent partner, and a young gamekeeper who had to wait nearly a year for certificates despite being told they had been prioritised.

Some Guns are waiting up to 178 days to get a firearms certificate