Urban Fox Control

[rowey 1]

Been asked if I can help "relocate" some problem foxes at a local cricket pitch. All around the site are houses with a cemetery to the south where I'm sure they are breeding. Because of houses and bunny huggers overlooking the the place snaring and cage trapping will be a problem. I could definitely shoot them. Would use a silenced .22 or .17 with them coming to bait from a raised position.(don't want to use centrefire). Would be purely as a favour to the groundsman. No payment asked for or offered

 

My ticket is open. I am insured

 

So the questions are.

 

Has anyone on here got experience of this? (shooting in enclosed built up areas)

 

Whats the legal aspect?

 

Should I ring the police?

 

Thanks

 

Rowey

[410phil 4]

Hi Pal

I have just finished doing some urban fox control in a very built up area.

Center of Manchester.

1 Yes I would ring the police-last thing you need is armed response turning up.

2 As long as the shot doesn't leave the boundaries its fine

3 I wouldn't use a 22 as the ricochet aspect in a built up area could be an issue

 

I personally use a silenced 12 bore and have had no problems

I used a hullmax bb cartridge and dropped them stone dead out to about 40 yards

 

Hope it helps

410 Phil

[rowey 1]

Hi Pal

I have just finished doing some urban fox control in a very built up area.

Center of Manchester.

1 Yes I would ring the police-last thing you need is armed response turning up.

2 As long as the shot doesn't leave the boundaries its fine

3 I wouldn't use a 22 as the ricochet aspect in a built up area could be an issue

 

I personally use a silenced 12 bore and have had no problems

I used a hullmax bb cartridge and dropped them stone dead out to about 40 yards

 

Hope it helps

410 Phil

 

OK MATE THANKS

[Jaggsy 25]

Rowey 410 makes some good points but dont rule out the rimfire, (the .17 is too loud for this work) i use my SAKO all the time in central London, if you do your homework you can work out an elevated shot or import a decent backstop such as sandbags if you have to. A subsonic round from a high position will drill straight through the target and safely into the earth at these sort of ranges. HTH

 

Martin

[rowey 1]

Rowey 410 makes some good points but dont rule out the rimfire, (the .17 is too loud for this work) i use my SAKO all the time in central London, if you do your homework you can work out an elevated shot or import a decent backstop such as sandbags if you have to. A subsonic round from a high position will drill straight through the target and safely into the earth at these sort of ranges. HTH

 

Martin

I can shoot from the top of the pavillion building to bait 20 or 30 yards away. Will probably borrow a mates night vision scope so I don't attract too much attention with the lamp. Thanks for everyones help. The BASC firearms team told me NOT to ring the police.

[Fidgety 8]

"The BASC firearms team told me NOT to ring the police."

 

Surely you jest????

[Jaggsy 25]

"The BASC firearms team told me NOT to ring the police."

 

Surely you jest????

 

Probably not..... your not obligated to and i knew someone who never did (and he was bloody good at shooting foxes in town!) a lot of people see them as a right royal pain in the arse and also if you have clients who have only agreed to have the work done if its carried out 'discretely' then you dont want two vans pulling up to check you out because they are bored.

[rowey 1]

"The BASC firearms team told me NOT to ring the police."

 

Surely you jest????

Dear Mr Roe,

 

 

I cannot advise you what to do as this is a mater for you. I have not seen the ground, but if in doubt of your experience to take a safe shot in that scenario, my advise is don’t become involved.

 

 

Using a silenced firearms is preferable, do not inform the police in case they take a draconian view that this should not happen because it might cause a police call out or complaint etc. The police these days, here and there, operate a ban it culture to avoid what they see as potential problems. What they should be doing is supporting you and advising the public about legal activities.

 

 

So long as you have permission and the relevant open certificate condition, then you are legal to carry out the control.

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

 

 

Firearms & Explosives Officer

 

BASC | Marford Mill | Rossett | Wrexham | LL12 0HL

01244-573010 | @basc.org.uk

 

 

That's the BASC reply. I deleted his name to protect his identity. I kid ye not.

[Urban Fox Control London 8]

I contacted BASC with concerns and this is the explaination from BASC Received this morning (22/02/10):

 

 

Thanks for the contact via our website.

 

It looks to me as though you are shooting in what could be called "sensitive" areas - and in these cases, I agree that notifying the police may be a good idea, and it seems that so far it has worked well for you.

 

Regrettably, this is not the case in some areas - and you have to remember that the police are not omnipotent (I served for 32 years as a police officer in the North-West) so sometimes the information does not get to the right people. There is also the fact that if a member of the public informs the police about "a man with a gun" they are obliged to turn out anyway - as that person may not be you, and they would be severely criticised if they ignored this risk.

 

I'm glad to hear that your experiences in the Met have been wholly good, but I regret to say that others have had different experiences - ranging from being told they would not be allowed to shoot unless they provided a long list of complex information, through being threatened with arrest as "fox shooting is illegal," to being screamed at and threatened by police officers who were on a different shift to the one our member had informed of his activities.

 

We have to remember that there are also clay pigeon shooters and target shooters who need to carry their guns in public, and when you add up the number of shooters in a given area, then multiply them by the times they go out shooting, the police could be overwhelmed by calls - the Met alone has more than twenty-nine thousand certificates on issue.

 

So, in summary - I agree that it is a good idea to inform the police when you are in a sensitive area, but in general it is not a requirement, and it often causes problems where they need not exist.

 

Our answer has been to try to help the police and their hard-worked staff in their communication centres - by providing a simple guide to shooting activities - see http://www.basc.org....468B278720AB9AC

 

I hope this explains our position, All the best !

Edited February 22, 2010 by Urban Fox Control London