Blackbart Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later but just back in from lamping and in the middle of it we got pulled over (or rather road blocked)by the police.They were quit civilised about it,just asking who owns this land and confirming we had permission,but strangely enough not checking we were license holders or even passing no more than a glancing look at the rifles in the back of the fourtrack.However he did inform us that from now on we have to phone in before we go lamping AND when we were finished and let them know exactly where we were going :blink: Otherwise the next time we get stopped it will be by armed officers pointing rifles at us !I explained i had done this once before to be met with the response "why are you telling me"from the police control room,so felt it was a waste of time.He said if they get any calls reporting a gunshot in the countryside and no one has told them about a shooting event in that area then an Armed response unit will be despatched. Seems to me the police are creating a whole lot of work for themselves.Is this a new thing nation wide or is it just northumbria ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProteuS Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 It seems a bit silly and a waste of time to me. There must be far better things they can do. Just because someone hears a gunshot in the countryside doesn't mean the armed response unit should be sent out. Having been a recipient of a "hard hit" by Durham's armed response unit it was completely ridiculous as a waste of time, especially seeing as we'd had a visit from the police force to obtain a permit and they knew we would be shooting at the same time every week. I don't phone in, and really dont want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Legally you don't have to tell them. They'll get sick of coming out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 From my Ex Police experience! It's standard procedure to be honest. Unfortunately there are far too many "experts" out there ready to report and incident from "their days in the army....usually". The common one we used to face was i used to shoot regularly and it was a "way bigger bang than a 5.56!" Followed by an armed response to investigate. Unfortunately most of the time a waste of time and money but every now and then it was well worth it.....But then, the forces MP5's rounds had a habbit of bouncing off their targets! They done't use 9mm anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Always ring into the police control room and to the local farm watch co ordinator when going lamping. Saves hassle in the long run and neighbouring farmers who come out to investigate lamping at midnigt are generally not too chuffed if we have forgotten to let them know. The police control room here is more than happy to give a log number and have told me they get several notification most nights and more at weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 It's being rolled out across the country eventually I think but it was trialed here in Leicestershire. If I go somewhere I'm likely to get noticed I call it in providing I get through reasonably quickly. If there's any delay or I'm unlikely to get noticed much I don't bother with it. Click below to read some of it but there are other threads on the topic too. http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...=leicestershire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapper063 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 couple of years ago i always phoned police when going shooting and coming back, Then they phoned me and said please dont phone anymore as it is putting there incident reports up.. they said they knew my name, my car,and if anyone reported shooting in my area they would check with me before responding. so i dont bother now unless im after a town fox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignoel Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 i got stopt a few months back 2 mile from my mates house on the way home 3am and all they said was are you lads finished for the night now. answerd we are. ok on your way i think a radio check following us told them all they needed polite friendly never checked anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I never bother calling them - I would have to call every day. If the police want to point a gun in my face while I am shooting on my own land, they are free to do so, but I might kick up a little stink about Article 8 and human rights in general. If the local control room wants to give me one of their snazzy Airwave radios (most unlikely), I may play the game and be a bit more communicative. Fortunately most of the locals where I live don't bat an eyelid at the sound of the odd (moderated) centrefire round being let off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick miller Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I rang my local force this week to ask whether I need to inform them when out shooting, be it with rimfire, shotgun or pop gun and I was told; 'Please don't call us every time you go shooting, there are so many people vermin shooting that if everyone rang in we'd be inundated' I double checked and asked if that was definitely the case with the shotgun too and they answered 'yes, absolutely, don't call us'. So there we are, depends on the force I guess, or more likely who answers the phone at the time. Strangely my mate rings every time he goes out with the .17 or the .243? Figure that one out if you can? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauer Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 here baldrick could you inform us a bit more about this "ARTICLE 8 " that you mentioned? please? dunnoe what itrefers to and any more "ammo" against the police would always help. not been stopped yet but bound to happen sooner or later cheers sauer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 here baldrick could you inform us a bit more about this "ARTICLE 8 " that you mentioned? please? dunnoe what itrefers to and any more "ammo" against the police would always help. not been stopped yet but bound to happen sooner or later cheers sauer i hope you never waste my taxes phoning the police when your house gets broken into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 There seems to be some conflicting information between different Police Authorities. Here in Lancashire I was advised to call in EVERY time I go out shooting, which I do! The way it was explained to me was that if a report of someone shooting was phoned in and the "shooter" had not logged in it could result in the Armed Responce Unit being mobilised. However, if the shooter had logged in then if a report came in the police were in a position to explain that the person was shooting perfectly legally and the person concerned need not worry! As I have said, I always log in because there are a few "Anti Shooting" bods in the area who seem to have nothing better to do than try to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the shooters - I had the police turn up one day because there had been a report called in saying that I was using my shotgun on the road, the police turned up, things were sorted and they went away happy. However I was told that had I not logged in the Armed Responce Unit would almost certainly have been mobilised for this (Totally unfounded) report. (The person making the report has done similar things with a fellow shooter that shares that particular permission with me in the past and has now been warned about wasting police time) I must add that our local police station where I log in have always been very polite to me and always thank me for letting them know! Maybe other police forces see the situation differently but I will stick to what my FAO has advised and what the local police are happy with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 BB ignore it, its not a legal requirement and so what if they despatch an ARV to a rural area while you're undertaking a legal activity. There also is the other side of if you're foxing one shot and odds are you'll have moved on well before an ARV gets there. What they don't realise is how many people go out shooting each evening if we all called in the system would melt down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 What was annoying was at the end of the conversation they asked if i had seen a certain vehicle ?to which i replied "yes it was just up the lane",of course by now 15 mins later they could have turned off and went anywhere.They went off after the vehicle,dont know if they were poaching or thieving but there was a traffic car looking for it aswell. I am going to ring firearms and see what they say on phoning 3 or 4 times a week :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) here baldrick could you inform us a bit more about this "ARTICLE 8 " property.Article 8, Human Rights Act 1998 (incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights). In lay terms, a right to privacy, and in the broader context of the Act, a right to peaceful enjoyment of your own property. Something tells me the Police would take a dim view to anyone levelling such a claim against them, and in my experience of the Police it is usually far more productive to simply apologise and action any constructive advice received, than get on one's soapboax about human rights and suchlike. Having now read the fascinating and enjoyable book, 'Peverting the Course of Justice', by the blog author 'Inspector Gadget', I have a much greater respect for the police. The utmost respect, in fact. Where I shoot is truly isolated, and we control most of the residential property anyway, so we don't get complaints about night shooting (only from cretinous ramblers whingeing about pigeon shooting). Edited October 15, 2009 by Baldrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Al4x is absolutely correct, it is not a legal requirement ,however the BASC CoP on lamping has always suggested that it is a good idea to let the police know when you are out at night. BUT in real terms even if you have called and the police get a 'complaint' they will still may take a decision on whether to not to send an officer to investigate or an ARV. BASC are currently re-writing and will then re-distribute our guidance book to the police on firearms and shooting. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Otherwise the next time we get stopped it will be by armed officers pointing rifles at us This statement just shows what tits plod are now! "NEXT" time if they were supposedly attending a "shooting report" why the local school crossing brigade in the first place? KW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) Al4x is absolutely correct, it is not a legal requirement ,however the BASC CoP on lamping has always suggested that it is a good idea to let the police know when you are out at night. BUT in real terms even if you have called and the police get a 'complaint' they will still may take a decision on whether to not to send an officer to investigate or an ARV. BASC are currently re-writing and will then re-distribute our guidance book to the police on firearms and shooting. David perhaps you ought to try and get a scheme going where members could take a copper out shooting for the evening, They may then think twice about the sense in chasing people accross fields in the dead of night once they knew a little more about what people were doing. There ought to be some form of advice as to the quality of the information received before a response is made. If a call is made by a farmer to people on his land then obviously odds are its poachers and a response is needed however if its joe bloggs heard a shot on farmland then its a bit different. When we're out the farmer always knows we're out and as the plod would have to gain access through a gated farmyard he would deal with them. In practice we never bother using shotguns to lamp rabbits etc as we got too many people calling the farm which we don't get with rifles so really the subtle aopproach is the best one, Actually the police calling farmers before responding to an incident would be a swifter and easier to administer system certainly cut down on the number of calls they had to handle from shooters going out. Edited October 15, 2009 by al4x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 OK just phoned licensing and was told "Reporting that you are going shooting has been in force for 5 years and you should report where you are shooting what time you are going and when you will be finished...EVERY TIME you go shooting :blink: "If the area covers more than one local station you should phone both stations" and "This is just to cover yourself" (whatever that means ?) At this time of year with the pheasants all out and 3 weeks till the first shoot it would be easier to phone them when i am NOT going shooting as i am out after charlie about 3 times a week. So there you have it, better get some more credit on the mobiles lads as you need to make a lot of calls(or not) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 can't you just open a log and say you're out every night BB and heres your mobile number. Thats a farce and would involve a gamekeeper phoning them twice a day every day :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 It s a farce because they say it's been in force for 5 year yet this is the first i have heard about it. On a good week i could be lamping sun mon wed,pheasant on a saturday and pigeon on a sunday i will be on first name terms with police control :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Could you imagin it all every gun on a driven or clay shoot calling in ! esp if people just called in 5 nights a week wether out or not ! the police would soon get fed up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkfooty Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 The bureacracy, nanny-stateism and wicked waste of police resources is one thing. The breach of our civil liberties is another. But the real problem is this. Before too long, one of those Armed Response Units is going to make a tragic mistake and kill a perfectly innocent shooter who is out with a perfectly legal gun and with perfectly proper permission. I hate to say this, but it is an accident that is just waiting to happen. And when that happens more controls will be introduced - not controls on the ARUs who made the mistake, but controls upon us (again)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I think Al4x made an excellent suggestion, the more positive interaction there is between the police and shooters the better surely? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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