From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] BSSC CONDEMNS POLICE INEFFICIENCY "It is beyond belief that firearms licensing in some police forces appears to be in meltdown and calls into question the 'right' of the police to be the firearms licensing authority", says Pat Johnson, Secretary of the British Shooting Sports Council [BSSC]. He was speaking after a meeting of the Council when delegates from member associations expressed their frustration at the inadequate performance of some police forces. Members brought a catalogue of complaints about mishandling of renewals for certificates with some forces openly indicating that it would take at least three months to complete a routine task. For the past two years Firearms Licensing Departments have had a reduced workload following the introduction of the five year certificate. Since the beginning of the year police forces have had to step up their operations back to the levels of earlier years. The evidence presented to the Council suggests that some forces, whose names will be well known to the affected shooters, have failed to come up to scratch. "Regrettably the police forces with the worst records seem to be those who appear to be in a constant battle with the shooting community. These people seek to impose conditions and demand information from applicants which go well beyond the Guidance to Police issued by the Home Office. We will shortly be meeting with the Chief Officers Association and will raise the issue with them. Already we have been successful in having the issue raised in Parliament and the Council will pursue any avenue which exposes this inefficiency and seeks to ensure a proper service for shooters", says Pat Johnson. The Council has previously advocated that there should be a Civilian Licensing Board which would release police resources to tackle matters which only they can handle, such as crime on the streets. Ends +++++++++++++ 07.07.00 Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
