FAC Price increase

[JonathanL]

i have heard lots of people saying how bad their police are but both my fac and sgc took less than 5 weeks each from start to Finnish and my variation 4 days so for me its worth it but see what your saying,

 

thank colin

 

Yes, that's decent service. If one force can do it then all of them can, surely?

 

J.

[colin lad]

Yes, that's decent service. If one force can do it then all of them can, surely?

 

J.

i cant hardly believe it sometimes when you read on here that people have waited 6 months for a ticket or variation like you say if one can do it why cant others,

for me i am happy with mine though we have now merged with Hert's who i have been told are even better will see next year when its variation time

 

colin

[Dekers]

The word I heard bouncing around Bisley this afternoon is it will be around £200.

 

The fact is NOBODY knows, nothing has been decided and no date has been fixed, all we can be confident of is the next change to the price of a FAC will be UP!

 

Anything else is pure speculation at the moment!

Edited March 11, 2012 by Dekers

[JonathanL]

The word I heard bouncing around Bisley this afternoon is it will be around £200.

 

The fact is NOBODY knows, nothing has been decided and no date has been fixed, all we can be sure of is the next change to the price of a FAC will be UP!

 

Anything else is pure speculation at the moment!

 

Exactly!

 

J.

[CZ550Kevlar]

i`ll pay £150 gladly next year when i`m up for renewal if Kent can get their bums in gear and process quicker than their current 6 months.

[Dekers]

i`ll pay £150 gladly next year when i`m up for renewal if Kent can get their bums in gear and process quicker than their current 6 months.

 

Not so long back a box of chocolates to the Firearms Dept Manager (a lady) worked well, I think that still sounds a better option than a 300%(ish) Fee increase!

 

 

...not a bit of it sir, a token of appreciation for their fine work, and well under the threshold needing to be declared....

[bedwards1966]

There is nothing to say the police will manage to get the fees increased, however I think it will happen.

It is certainly arguable that as certificates are of no benefit to shooters and only to the public who are 'protected' by the system, that therefore it should not be paid for by the shooters.

 

I personally don't mind the fee increase in theory (if it's a sensible amount), though obviously I don't want it to happen. However it is unacceptable to wait 5/6 months for a SGC/FAC, which I've had twice now!

 

The system could be made much more efficient in many ways, one thought could be to grant open certificates, therefore vastly reducing the land checks needed, saving time and fuel.

 

Having slots for the quantity and calibre of firearms is just a complete waste of time and money, and is simply used as a way for the police to control and limit the number of firearms in the possession of shooters.

If someone can be trusted with a .22lr they can also be trusted with an anti tank gun, and it should be based more on the shotgun system where you can buy anything as long as you have suitable storage for it. Anything further is a waste of time, effort and money.

 

Obviously some forces are very efficient and that's great, but many seem to need to improve in some ways.

[Big Marty]

The word I heard bouncing around Bisley this afternoon is it will be around £200.

 

The fact is NOBODY knows, nothing has been decided and no date has been fixed, all we can be confident of is the next change to the price of a FAC will be UP!

 

Anything else is pure speculation at the moment!

well I can only speak for over here and if this man is wrong about this it will be the first time he has given me bad info,thats all I can say..

[Breastman]

The only proposed fees i've seen are the following:

 

 

To be fair the fees haven't gone up since 2001, which is crazy, but trebling/almost quadrupling them is a bit much. I also completely disagree with total cost recovery from certificate holders. As has been said the alleged purpose of firearms licensing is public safety, therefore as the chief benefactors imo the public have a responsibility for the cost.

 

Mark

[JonathanL]

The only proposed fees i've seen are the following:

 

 

To be fair the fees haven't gone up since 2001, which is crazy, but trebling/almost quadrupling them is a bit much. I also completely disagree with total cost recovery from certificate holders. As has been said the alleged purpose of firearms licensing is public safety, therefore as the chief benefactors imo the public have a responsibility for the cost.

 

Mark

 

Absolutely. I would add to that a point regarding variations. The variation of a certificate seems to have very little, if any, public safety implications. Why then does it need to happen?

 

What possible public safety implications can result from someone acquiring an additional firearm, especially given the fact that you can acquire as many section.2 firearms as you want already without needing an individual authority? Why is it that there is a theoretical greater risk to public safety if a person has ten rifles rather than nine? If there is indeed some public safety reason for it then it should be free.

 

J.

[HDAV]

Mark any idea where those cost figures came from? How can SGC grant renewal cost the same as FAC? Variation costs almost as much as renewal?

 

Some nasty shocks coming if they are accurate (The dealers fee for a trade fair seems the daftest tbh)

[Breastman]

Absolutely. I would add to that a point regarding variations. The variation of a certificate seems to have very little, if any, public safety implications. Why then does it need to happen?

 

What possible public safety implications can result from someone acquiring an additional firearm, especially given the fact that you can acquire as many section.2 firearms as you want already without needing an individual authority? Why is it that there is a theoretical greater risk to public safety if a person has ten rifles rather than nine? If there is indeed some public safety reason for it then it should be free.

 

J.

 

Come on Jonathan, it's in case of the very real threat of an octopus with an FAC going on a rampage, surely you remember this??

 

 

:yp:

[joke209061]

As alot have said, i wouldnt mind paying a little more.

BUT

I also agree that the licensing system is delivered by the police as a public service for others, not for the licencee.

you wouldnt expect to pay whenever you wanted to report a crime.

the fact is that police budgets are being cut by the home office and they are looking to recoup money where possible,

Whatever the situation, well probably just have to rollover and accept what they do as we have no othere option.

[Breastman]

Mark any idea where those cost figures came from? How can SGC grant renewal cost the same as FAC? Variation costs almost as much as renewal?

 

Some nasty shocks coming if they are accurate (The dealers fee for a trade fair seems the daftest tbh)

 

They're from ACPO Given to the UKPSA liason at their last meeting

[JonathanL]

Mark any idea where those cost figures came from? How can SGC grant renewal cost the same as FAC? Variation costs almost as much as renewal?

 

Some nasty shocks coming if they are accurate (The dealers fee for a trade fair seems the daftest tbh)

 

Because it is essentially exactly the same procedure. All the checks and enquiries are exactly the same, the ony diference is that you have to demonstrate 'good reason' for the grant of an FAC. Lots of people tell you that it's 'easier' to get an SGC but it isn't really. Just diferent - slightly.

 

When you think about it it can't really be any other way. If somene is fit to have an SGC then they are fit to have an FAC. If you were to suggest that someone is too dodgy to get the latter but not the former then you are effectively saying that some pretty unsutiable people are being put in charge of firearms.

 

Thinking about it. I don't think that I've ever heard of anyone who had an SGC but who was refused an FAC on the grounds that they were unsutiable, posed a threat to public safety, etc.

 

J.

[HDAV]

Thinking about it. I don't think that I've ever heard of anyone who had an SGC but who was refused an FAC on the grounds that they were unsutiable, posed a threat to public safety, etc.

 

J.

 

But SGC has no land checks... Fewer referees..... Must be cheaper.

[apache]

I personally don't mind the fee increase in theory (if it's a sensible amount), though obviously I don't want it to happen. However it is unacceptable to wait 5/6 months for a SGC/FAC, which I've had twice now!

 

The system could be made much more efficient in many ways, one thought could be to grant open certificates, therefore vastly reducing the land checks needed, saving time and fuel.

 

You had to wait 6 months under North Yorkshire or in a different area? I've said before I couldn't be happier with the service I've had from them. 2 months for FAC grant (same almost to the day for my wife). Variations turned round in 3-4 weeks including a visit if needed. My FAC's up to 3 pages now......

 

Incidentally we are all on open certs!

 

If the whole country got service like I did I won't moan if it costs me £50/year! £150/5 years is no great cost.

[JonathanL]

But SGC has no land checks... Fewer referees..... Must be cheaper.

 

Land checks are not a requirement in law and I can't really see what purpose they serve. Also, they are not universal. No one who is only a target shooter needs them as they are requiredto be in a club. The actual, physical work the police need to do in relation to the public safety element of granting either certificate is virtually identical.

 

I think you are right in that an FAC does take a slight bit more work but it's quite small.

 

J.

[CZ550Kevlar]

last time i checked Kent police took part of my council tax anyway? if i have to pay more to process my licence then why don`t other people pay extra for having a policeman walk up their road?

[the enigma]

Asked a while back had anyone heard of a price jump in the fee for the FAC..Heard yesterday from a very good source that it is to go up to £150 but not till next year..April I hear..

 

Mine's up for renewal in the summer,so at least I'll get another 5 years at £50.

 

With the recent improvement in the turn around time for licenses,it was only a matter of time before we'd have to pay for the privilege. I just wonder if they do increase the fee to this level,will they give people the option to spread the cost over the duration of the FAC,perhaps an annual payment, or are they going to want the full amount up front up. £150 is a fair lump to be shelling up in one go,basically for a piece of paper.

[David BASC]

Dear all,

 

This has been rumbling on since last year and came on the back of the Government repose to the HASC.

 

The police are under severe pressure to cut budget across the board, and one are that some are highlighting is the cost of firearms licensing.

 

BASC notes that a further discussion will take place regarding firearms licence fees, but nothing has been set down yet.

 

BASC has the most comprehensive collection of statistics on licensing departments’ performance collected over the past 14 years.

 

BASC believes that issues of efficiency and service will need to be addressed before any increase in fees are justified.

Any changes or updates to the situation will be on our web site.

 

David

[wymberley]

OK, it's fair to say that we are due a rise but it must be realistic.

 

More often than not, it seems that BASC is 'reactive' to circumstances (often by their nature this is unavoidable). However, on this matter we are forewarned. Why not be 'proactive' for a change and publish the statistics mentioned by David now. With this in the public domain, a few minds may just be concentrated.

[Big Marty]

Dear all,

 

This has been rumbling on since last year and came on the back of the Government repose to the HASC.

 

The police are under severe pressure to cut budget across the board, and one are that some are highlighting is the cost of firearms licensing.

 

BASC notes that a further discussion will take place regarding firearms licence fees, but nothing has been set down yet.

 

BASC has the most comprehensive collection of statistics on licensing departments’ performance collected over the past 14 years.

 

BASC believes that issues of efficiency and service will need to be addressed before any increase in fees are justified.

Any changes or updates to the situation will be on our web site.

 

David

David can you tell me is N.Ireland the same as far as not having fixed an amount or a date to put fees up or are we differnt..Just not sure mate,some say we are some say we are not.. CHEERS..

[bedwards1966]

You had to wait 6 months under North Yorkshire or in a different area? I've said before I couldn't be happier with the service I've had from them. 2 months for FAC grant (same almost to the day for my wife). Variations turned round in 3-4 weeks including a visit if needed. My FAC's up to 3 pages now......

 

Incidentally we are all on open certs!

 

If the whole country got service like I did I won't moan if it costs me £50/year! £150/5 years is no great cost.

 

Yes, I had to wait 6 months for my SGC, then when I later applied for a FAC that took 5 months. I had land available, no convictions etc to cause concern, it simply took that long.

 

Regarding open certificates I was meaning those who don't automatically get granted them, therefore resulting in FEO's driving round passing every piece of land people want to shoot on - it seems a waste of money.

 

I like North Yorkshire because we get open certificates, and they seem to be a sensible force to deal with, however they are understaffed and the times I've had to wait are not good.

 

 

Before fees are increased I think all police forces should follow the HO guidelines in the same way, the differences between forces is stupid, and all applications need to be dealt with in a timely manner, all round the country.

[David BASC]

Changes in the cost of firearms licences in England, Wales and I believe at the moment Scotland are by way of a fees order from Westminster.

 

I believe its different in NI, but will ask Tommy for advice.

 

David