Police Unannounced Visits

[Deker 3,478]

question...just because i feel like asking it!

but where in black and white dose it say about haveing guns and ammo locked away in a cabinet?

You do not need a Cabinet.

 

You need Safe storage, in the majority of cases that will be a cabinet, and if you elect this method of storage there are guidelines and a BS7558/92 of type/construction/etc of cabinet, but even that is not set in stone.

 

Lets not cloud the issue here, specifically we are talking Safe Storage, not necessarily a cabinet, a rifle on the kitchen table and ammo in the fruit basket probably would not qualify. Likewise, if you have just returned/just going out to a shoot, cleaning, etc there is a legitimate reason for visible guns etc.

 

Edited October 14, 2014 by Deker

[The one 8,467]

My take on this is unless they come with a search warrant you dont have to give them access to private property ?. unless its your fao who is far too busy for random calls apparently why let them in

[walshie 2,804]

An additional worry is that this may lead to criminals posing as police officers trying to gain entry to a cert holders house, I mean come on how hard would it be to fake a warrant card in this day and age? I would advise anyone who receives a visit under these circumstances, to check the Id of any officers with their local force, if the officer asking to view firearms is not known to you, a simple and quick exercise, that shows you are serious about security.

 

Couldn't agree more. If it was someone I didn't know, I'd make them wait at the door and call the firearms team to check it was legit.

[Cedric 132]

question...just because i feel like asking it!

but where in black and white dose it say about haveing guns and ammo locked away in a cabinet?

 

 

I don't think there is a security issue with firearms being out of their cabinet if they are in your complete supervision and control i.e. you are present. By all means lock them away at night or if you go out, making it difficult for casual thieves.

 

Criminals targeting your guns will find a way to get their hands on them, it would be fairly straightforward to force you to disclose where your keys are, easier than crowbarring a safe and lugging it away.

[SportingShooter 0]

I'm curious as to where all the talk of terrorism came from as a justification for this new guideline...I can't find anything in the information I've had that mentions terrorism.

 

The text of the guideline actually says that the unannounced visit will only be undertaken when there is specific intelligence of a risk of harm or threat to public safety, therefore it would be exactly as said above, where somehow, the police are aware that Mr Jones leaves all his guns on full view when he's not at home leaving the 7 year old in charge and the guns wide open to falling into the wrong hands.

[CharlieSlade 14]

This is an email I got today, they have no new powers of entry

[Savage Steve 15]

As if the FEO hasn't enough to do. No wonder it takes so long to get a variation or whatever through.

I personally havn't got a problem with them checking especially if it helps prevent terrorism .but I think they are going about it wrong.

Steve

[Alsone 789]

The whole wider crime thing makes me think this is very much like random checks on drivers. When the police want to stop you, they'll find an excuse. After all, are you going to look up local crime trends after their visit to see if they'vre gone up or be a party to government terrorisom intelligence?

 

If you do and they haven't gone up, who do you complain to, the police?

 

There's very little sympathy for gun owners anyway, so even an independent panel isn't going to be overly sympathetic against increased security checks.

 

Then even if they were found to be making an illegal visit, what then? Most likely the force would get a verbal verdict that the check was illegal and that they could simply ignore.

[TOPPER 1,809]

BUT THE FACT REMAINS IF ALL THESE POLICE FORCES HAVE BEEN SOLD OF THERE PRIVATE CORPERATIONS IE PRIVATE SECURITY THEN THERE ALL ILLIGAL SEACHES INLESS YOU LET THEM BULLY YOU

[TOPPER 1,809]

http://dyfedpowyspoliceauthority.co.uk/ READ THE STATEMENT THEY MAKE NO BONES OF BEING AN INDEPENDET BODY ANOTHER ONE OWNED BY IBM = PRIVATE SECURITY SO WHAT GIVES THEM THE POWER TO INSPECT YOU OR YOUR GUNS AND SHOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO CARRY GUNS

[Cedric 132]

Re. above post.

 

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ownership_of_police

[SportingShooter 0]

Topper, I've no idea where you are pulling these so called "facts" from about police forces being owned and operated by private companies from,

 

For starters, all officers are sworn in to a legal office of a constable, regardless of their subsequent rank. They are servants of the Crown.

 

A police force (not authority) is a statutory body which does not have shareholders, you can not buy shares in it or own any part of it, it has a budget given to it from the Treasury and through council tax precepts, how they spend it and who they contract to undertake certain functions is up to the Chief Constable and/or Commissioner.

 

Police Authorities, as in your link, do not exist any longer. They were replaced in 2012 by a police and crime commissioner, also sworn in to a legal office and as such a Crown servant. Again you cannot buy shares or any portion of his office, he controls a large portion of a force's budget, so again who he contracts to undertake certain functions is up to him. The old police authorities were usually made up of local councillors, partner agencies and others who were involved in policing, they were not "independent" as in a private company, it meant they were there again in a statutory function to hold the chief constable to account.

[charlie caller 3,654]

Thank goodness we have cleared that up then

[IanB 0]

Couple of friends have had there guns taken off them recently, to do with past convictions and were talking years ago, there clamping down a lot.

[goldfinger 135]

If they lied on application fair enough if not and they are B.A.S.C members I'm sure that they would be interested in there story.

Edited October 17, 2014 by goldfinger