Certificate delay

Some friends of mine have been lifelong shooters and I have always enjoyed the sport, from clays to pigeon shooting. This made me decide to apply for my own shotgun certificate so that I can continue to enjoy it without relying on my friends being there and the use of their guns. I applied for my shotgun certificate in January and had a visit from the firearms officer in April. He was happy and said that I would hear back shortly — within two weeks. It is now October and, despite sending numerous emails, I still have no certificate. The response I receive is that Essex Police is understaffed and cannot give me a timeframe. This is frustrating but I feel that there is nothing I can do.

David says: There is plenty you can do. You are complaining to the wrong person. The right person to complain to is Roger Hirst, the county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Essex is, and has long been, among the worst-performing forces. The latest figures from BASC show that Essex is taking 134 days to grant a shotgun certificate, which is, admittedly, an improvement on the 258 days in BASC’S previous survey. Draw Mr Hirst’s attention to West Mercia, which has many more certificate holders than Essex and is processing grants in four weeks. He needs your vote if he wants to be re-elected in 2020.