Hertfordshire Sgc Application Turnaround Times And A Licence Q?

[PaulJC 14]

Hey, Will be putting in my SGC application with Hertfordshire police in a couple of weeks, anyone know what kind of turn around time they have at the moment?

 

And is there any issue with it being issued without a cabinet if there is no intention of purchasing a gun at this time, just to allow use of club/hire guns unsupervised and buy ammo in bulk?

Cheers

 

Paul

[PaulJC 14]

Anyone....?

[Alsone 789]

Yes and no.

 

Last time I spoke to the BASC on this subject, I was told many forces now insist you have a cabinet fitted and approved prior to grant and it may lead to a refusal if one isn't fitted. However, why should you be forced to spend £100+ on something which, if you only have the intention of borrowing guns, will never get used?

 

It's also interesting to note that the new form actually uses the wording (at least on my copy) "Details of current (or in the case of grants, proposed) security arrangements", suggesting that it's not a requirement to fit before grant.

 

In fact I currently hold a licence without a cabinet and mine was renewed within the last 12 months without any issue with my force.

 

On the new form, below where you tick the boxes to confirm the type of security, I ticked to confirm:

 

1. British Standard Cabinet or equivolent

 

2. Cabinet bolted to the fabric of the building

 

3. Storage out of sight of visitors

 

(Make sure you can meet those conditions before ticking and only tick the ones you can meet! I can meet all of them easily)

 

In the space below I then stated "Above to be acquired before (before underlined) any purchase - no security cabinet currently as no guns held". I'm not saying this is perfect wording or approved wording, just what worked for me.

 

I also verbally told my FEO on visitation that I would install a compliant cabinet and call him out to approve it before making any purchase.

 

Obviously if it's granted on this basis, you MUST honour that as an unapproved cabinet is essentially the same as having no cabinet (because if it doesn't meet the fixing requirements you've failed the safekeeping requirements). That could lead to revocation or in the worst case, prosecution. So don't buy until you have an inspected cabinet fitted! Even if it is fixed correctly, you will p*ss your FEO off and could arguably have still breached a condition of the grant if it was granted on the basis that you would fit and get it inspected prior to purchase, so make sure you stick to what you've agreed.

 

Personally, I would make no mention of ammunition. There's no safe keeping requirement for shotgun ammunition so it isn't an issue. All you need do is keep it out of sight of visitors somewhere (common sense not a requirement). Telling them you intend to bulk buy ammo (although perfectly legal) might just make them nervous so personally I'd say nothing at all about ammunition and if it is mentioned, just inform them any ammo you buy will be stored out of sight of any visitors. No need to mention quantities and again don't promise anything you can't / won't keep to.

[PaulJC 14]

Thank you for such a comprehensive reply, some very good points to keep in mind there