Why are they INSISTING on calling 101?

[CharlieT]

When I was little some time ago we had got the hang of doing our own risk assessments (I think that's what they're called now) before the age of ten and also learnt not to do anything stupid. Somehow I've managed to survive for almost 70 years.

 

Now, the most serious accident that I'm likely to suffer is some form of bladder malfunction.

 

Or, of course, a catastrophic sense of humour failure which seems to be prevalent nowadays!

 

Add to all that the need to take a large bag full of parefelaneour to enable one to use the said phone. Glasses to see the funny little buttons and read the screen, a torch to both see and find the wreched thing and a vehicle to drive it (the phone) some 10 miles to get reception. All to advise the police that I have decided to go to a farm I forgot to tell them about earlier.

 

I think not.

[wildfowler.250]

What's 101

[CharlieT]

Although I had never heard of it, I presume it's a cheap version of 999.

[Grandalf]

Never told them yet - Aint going to either.

Copper was just bored - at 2am I can understand he just needed a bit of company for a while.

[BerettaSV10]

What's 101

 

It replaces the local 0300 series of phone numbers to contact the police, the 0300 replaced the 0845 numbers. It is primary for reporting / contacting the police for non emergencies and should automatically route you to your local police station.

[wildfowler.250]

 

 

It replaces the local 0300 series of phone numbers to contact the police, the 0300 replaced the 0845 numbers. It is primary for reporting / contacting the police for non emergencies and should automatically route you to your local police station.

 

Thanks! Always just had the 'long number' saved on my phone so didn't know there was a 101 option

[wymberley]

It replaces the local 0300 series of phone numbers to contact the police, the 0300 replaced the 0845 numbers. It is primary for reporting / contacting the police for non emergencies and should automatically route you to your local police station.

 

That's it then, forget it. I live on the edge of the biggest town in East Devon and my local shuts up shop at 4pm

[pegasus bridge]

That's not strictly true mate! I only bother phoning in for one particular permission of mine where I know that there is a neighbour that is very anti and will often call the police as soon as they hear my first shot being fired. By phoning in first the police know that there is a good chance that it is me so if these stupid antis call them complaining that someone is shooting all they do is give me a quick call

 

I would like to see the police taking action against anti's who waste police time like this, once, twice maybe - but when people are clearly doing it because they just dont like shooting, it should be treated like any nuisance phone call.

[BerettaSV10]

That's it then, forget it. I live on the edge of the biggest town in East Devon and my local shuts up shop at 4pm

 

Tried both the 0300 number which got routed to a call centre miles away from my local, the 101 did get routed to the main station nearest me thats open. We have strange opening times in my area, with one thats not open to the public, another main station that shuts at 5 and don't think its open at weekends, what looks like a one or two person staion that appears to be open all hours.

[ajm1979]

I ring the 0845 for Cumbria Police but only when I am planning on going near two permissions that are bothered by poachers regularly and often a series of thefts in the area, its something I agreed with the farmer when I got the permission. To be honest its no hassle to ring, they already have all my details from my phone number and all I do is tell them vaguely what areas I will be in for the night not specifics farms etc, time i'm setting off and time i'm expecting to be finished and thats it. Apart from these two farms I never bother.

[Frenchieboy]

I would like to see the police taking action against anti's who waste police time like this, once, twice maybe - but when people are clearly doing it because they just dont like shooting, it should be treated like any nuisance phone call.

As it is these particular neighbours caused so many problems that they were in fact warned about wasting police time. Since then things have died down a bit but I still like to cover my back and avoid the possibility of my shooting getting disturbed.

There is an up side to this idea of volentarily claaing in and letting the police know where and what times you are going to be out shooting, that being a day when I was out on the same permission but on the other side of the valley. I had a Ruger 10/22 with me that was all camoed up and carried a 25 round magazine. I was wearing mu camo gear and a rambler had obviously seen me and called the police saying that there was a suspicious looking charactor walking about with what looked like a military rifle. Because I had phoned and let the police know that I was going to be there all they needed to do was to call me on my mobile and confirm that it was me rather than maybe having to mobilise an armed response unit.

[Amazed]

I have never rang the number and never been stopped . But they don't have to come far the new cop shop is about 400 yards from my main permission on a small industrial estate lol.

[Greymaster]

Am about to get into my car for to drive to one of my permissions. Which number should I phone to seek prior approval to drive? When I get there should I phone plod to tell them I arrived safely? When I set off for home later, shall I phone again?

 

Is there any other lawful activity I should notify plod about before I proceed to do it?

[JonathanL]

Out lamping with my mate the other night, crossed the road to change fields.. Cars headlights flick on behind.

 

Drive into field, car follows.. So I got out, got my folder for permission slips etc.. And the copper asks me the usual.. Then asked me for my lOg number? As if it was now law to phone up?

 

Also, not only is the guy pestering me about what I'm doing.. He's sat on the edge of my shoot, main beams on and flashy blues on at 2am ruining my foxing!

 

Is it now LAW to ring 101 and have a 5 min grilling about what your doing? Or can I just ignore his drivel and just go shooting?

 

This isn't the first time they've been out over there either!

 

This is precisely the reason why I and others have adivised people NOT to call in before hand when they are going shooting. As in your case, the police will now start to routeinly ask for your log number and then start pretending that its a legal requirement to tell them in advance that you will be shooting.

 

To everyone who currently rings the cops before they go out - STOP DOING IT please!

 

j.

[JonathanL]

If you had called and obtained a log, you probably would not have even seen the plod, give it a try.

 

Yes he would because they will always come out - although I don't think they should.

 

J.

[GHE]

Am about to get into my car for to drive to one of my permissions. Which number should I phone to seek prior approval to drive? When I get there should I phone plod to tell them I arrived safely? When I set off for home later, shall I phone again?

 

Is there any other lawful activity I should notify plod about before I proceed to do it?

This is the whole point. What we do is legitimate and normal. It's the police obsession with guns, and their apparent belief that they are the only people who should be allowed to have them, that has turned a normal hobby/sport into an abnormal one, as far as the public is concerned.

 

If we 'co-operate' with the police in this way, it will become expected of us. And in just a few years they will consider it to be irresponsible, and a reason to revoke our certificates, it we don't notify them.

 

And soon after that, it will become a legal requirement to give 7 days notice in writing.

 

And a few years after that, it will become a legal requirement to ask their permission in writing.

 

This is the thin end of the wedge!

[Thunderbird]

This topic (not the 101, but the one about informing plod) has been done before and I'll tell you what I would (and do) do.

 

Normally make no call at all, only tell the landowner, if that's indeed a condition of the permission.

 

However, if I was planning on shooting somewhere where I had a fair idea I might get a bit of attention from the five-oh, I'd use my noggin and call the FEO for his opinion, get it backed up in writing (email, which I would keep on my phone), or alternatively just let the police know at the time, and tell them at the time I'll be shooting there a fair bit, and ask how they want to play it.

[GingerCat]

Haven't called it and won't call it unless I have an awkward permission where someone often calls in to report me shooting, thankfully i don't. As for coppers asking for the cad/log number at 2am he's bored and wont take kindly to a rude reply which will only serve to fill his time till early turn take over. Wont hurt to point out the Blue flashing lights etc disturb the quarry and ruin the Night as he probably didn't realise, after all not only are we expected to be a master of directions family health and relationship advice on top of knowing all of the 18000+ laws of this country but all experts in fieldcraft as well. Still I'd rather he investigated a bloke with a gun in a field late at night who he had clearly never seen before than let a poacher carry on undisturbed.

[colliwobbles]

Whilst this has been discussed before being on both sides of this discussion this is my two penneth worth.

 

Don't call 101 ( the new number for ALL police forces) unless its an area where there have been poachers or issues that make it worthwhile. The comms room don't care and 9 times out of ten you will get a log/cad number but it would be on a generic 'miscellaneous log' for ****.

 

We have to come and visit you if we are called regardless of whether or not you have called in as we have to attend ALL firearms related calls. Until we get there and speak to you we've no idea who you are or what you're up to. You could be a burglar, poacher or a legitimate person going about their lawful business.

 

It is a fact that most officers don't know one end of a firearm to the other or a lot about firearms legislation. Hence some of the issues that you've all experienced.

 

In rural areas any 'plod' worth his or her salt would stop and speak to people especially seeing that rural crime is on the increase. You won't get any complaints from farmers or landowners, especially if we do manage to catch someone up to no good.

 

The majority of us aren't interested in giving you a hard time most are genuinely curious and it comes with the territory, however, the attitude test does exist and yes I do know that it woks both ways.

 

We would much prefer dealing with something that requires a police presence seein that we know that times out of 10 we know its legitimate when the job is deployed. We still HAVE to attend.

 

A lot of officers hold fac/sgc and common sense does happen at times.

 

Yes I have been stopped and spoken to whilst shooting following a call into the control room. I've had my ticket and weapons checked, yes it's inconvenient, yes it is a pain in the **** but whether you agree or not that's the way it will be.

[hillmouse]

Out lamping 2 weeks back, estate has been unkeepered for 6 months, Traffic car slowed at track end, saw lamp going across stubble, waited until I was 200 yards away and drove off.

I would have preffered it had he stopped to see who it was and if I was legitimate, especially as the farms Loadall was driven off a field a week earlier and stopped by chance 11 miles away. The thieves got away.

 

As to phoning in. Never, unless there are local circumstances which make it sensible. I did used to when between two towns with regular poaching, dogwork and illegal goings on and it did save time and make genuine call outs more effective. But that was in the days when we knew every policeman personally and could speak to them rather than an IT geek a hundred miles away.

In our present rural location 101 is just a good old Winchester shotgun model.

[steve_b_wales]

To contact my local police station, which is 3 mile away, I have to phone 101. I am then transferred to the 'base' which is 20 miles away. After explaining the reason for phoning, I'm then transferred to the station (but not always the one I want) I then have to wait until they can be bothered to answer the phone. Totally frustrating!

[JonathanL]

Whilst this has been discussed before being on both sides of this discussion this is my two penneth worth.

 

Don't call 101 ( the new number for ALL police forces) unless its an area where there have been poachers or issues that make it worthwhile. The comms room don't care and 9 times out of ten you will get a log/cad number but it would be on a generic 'miscellaneous log' for ****.

 

We have to come and visit you if we are called regardless of whether or not you have called in as we have to attend ALL firearms related calls. Until we get there and speak to you we've no idea who you are or what you're up to. You could be a burglar, poacher or a legitimate person going about their lawful business.

 

It is a fact that most officers don't know one end of a firearm to the other or a lot about firearms legislation. Hence some of the issues that you've all experienced.

 

In rural areas any 'plod' worth his or her salt would stop and speak to people especially seeing that rural crime is on the increase. You won't get any complaints from farmers or landowners, especially if we do manage to catch someone up to no good.

 

The majority of us aren't interested in giving you a hard time most are genuinely curious and it comes with the territory, however, the attitude test does exist and yes I do know that it woks both ways.

 

We would much prefer dealing with something that requires a police presence seein that we know that times out of 10 we know its legitimate when the job is deployed. We still HAVE to attend.

 

A lot of officers hold fac/sgc and common sense does happen at times.

 

Yes I have been stopped and spoken to whilst shooting following a call into the control room. I've had my ticket and weapons checked, yes it's inconvenient, yes it is a pain in the **** but whether you agree or not that's the way it will be.

 

Then it needs to change. If nothing unlawful has been reported then there is no reason to attend and someone shooting in a field is not unlawful per-se.

 

A car has just driven past my house shall I ring 101 and report it on the off-chance that the driver is uninsured, unlicensed or p*ssed? If soemone is ever beaten to death with a golf club should I ring the police upon seeing my neighbour leaving his house with a golf bag?

 

When the police are attending to a pointless call about someone shooting quite lawfully in a field they are not available to attend the incidents they are supposed to be attending for the purpose of protecting the public. Lets face it - even if the people shooting are shooting unlawfully its still hardly a high priority call. Any time an unarmed police officer attends a 'firearms' incident then its probably not worth attending. If it's a case of an officer potentially getting shot then you would send a firearms team - if no one is likely to get shot then you don't need to attend, surely? Yes, I know poaching is an offence but its hardly of earth shattering importance.

 

J.

[CharlieT]

 

Yes, I know poaching is an offence but its hardly of earth shattering importance.

 

J.

 

Of no more or no less importance than someone entering your place of buisness in the dead of night and helping themselves to your property.

[JonathanL]

Of no more or no less importance than someone entering your place of buisness in the dead of night and helping themselves to your property.

 

Perhaps but I don't feel that someone 'stealing' rabbits or suchlike (which you don't even actualy own) is the same as someone breaking into business premises and taking your stock in trade.

 

I know that I would consider the business premises and stock to be higher up the police prioroty list than the vermin in a field I might happen to own and would be highly ****** off if burglars at the former venue escaped because the police were running around a filed after poachers at the time.

 

J.

[GingerCat]

Those poachers are often the same as the one helping themselves to the farmers fuel or you lads Xbox when you go for the family meal in a nice restraunt. As has been said previously if a call is made plod turns up. Its the job. I can't chose which one to turn up to and must say I get especially annoyed when its a waste of time however I dont know that till I get there and find out.