12boreblue Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Having just secured the shooting rights to a small 40 acre farm and nursery, I advised the landowner that I would inform the police of the right to shoot the land and that any enguiries, complaints etc should be direct toward myself. I called the police to let them know the situation and asked for a local telephone number or email address so I could advise them of the days I'm shooting. Thinking that would be enough, I recieved a call from Surrey Police, they requested the vehicle reg number of the vehicle that I would use to transport the gun. The names of any other persons I would be shooting with. The date and time I was going to shoot. I explained that this is not a 'one off' shoot date but ongoing vermin control. I was told that every time I wish to shoot, I had to call 101 and advise them of a reference number (which has been given to me) and that I must advise them before shooting. Now I believe this to be over the top! What was meant to be a good PR between shooter and police has now turned out to be a pain, it takes ages to get through on the 101 number, and I am sure that I am not legally bound to inform them as long as I shoot within the law. Anybody know if I have to comply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloke Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 don't think so for one minute - get hold of BASC ASAP and get them on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huffhuff Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) I don't think there is anything to say you have to. But for the sake of a 30 second call to 101 (the non emergency police number if people don't know) then is it really a big hassle? I know people go on about it, but it's really not much to ask. With the amount of antis about, surely it makes sense to notify them so they don't come chasing after you on the first report of gunfire?!? Edited October 26, 2012 by huffhuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaserF3 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 I would never involve the Police at all, you have no need to tell them what you are doing. It's becoming more like a Police State every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 You made a rod for your own back by phoning in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Only a week or two ago someone on here (i cant remember who) said shooters ought NOT to ring in advance because the police will expect it every time and eventually it will become mandatory. Your post clearly shows its already happening. So to everyone else-dont ring it in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artschool Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 the questions they ask will get increasing daft. number plates, serial numbers of your guns, type of guns, what you are shooting etc. last time i called i had to spend five minutes explaining what zeroing was. dont bother calling as its not a legal requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowen20 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 LOL You do NOT have to inform them just do a search on here been done to death loads of times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordnance Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have never rang the police in 30 years of shooting and have never being asked to by the police to do so. And i live in N Ireland you would think the police here would be wary of reports of gun shots but its never being a problem. They will be asking to go with you next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12boreblue Posted October 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) Many thanks for the replies, I have no problem informing them of the day I intend to shoot, what really gets my goat is that I can only use the 101 number and today for instance took me 20 minutes to get through. Surely an email or local number could or should be sufficient. But as always they are saving costs and all local numbers have been removed from websites and directories. But I will shoot and if the police turn up I will give them the reference number, they will soon get the picture!! Edited October 26, 2012 by 12boreblue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Having just secured the shooting rights to a small 40 acre farm and nursery, I advised the landowner that I would inform the police of the right to shoot the land and that any enguiries, complaints etc should be direct toward myself. I called the police to let them know the situation and asked for a local telephone number or email address so I could advise them of the days I'm shooting. Thinking that would be enough, I recieved a call from Surrey Police, they requested the vehicle reg number of the vehicle that I would use to transport the gun. The names of any other persons I would be shooting with. The date and time I was going to shoot. I explained that this is not a 'one off' shoot date but ongoing vermin control. I was told that every time I wish to shoot, I had to call 101 and advise them of a reference number (which has been given to me) and that I must advise them before shooting. Now I believe this to be over the top! What was meant to be a good PR between shooter and police has now turned out to be a pain, it takes ages to get through on the 101 number, and I am sure that I am not legally bound to inform them as long as I shoot within the law. Anybody know if I have to comply? Because I quite like my FEO I once agreed to call out of courtesy and tell them when I was shooting;and they wanted to know a lot more than the above,including start and finish times! I haven't phoned since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillmouse Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Only a week or two ago someone on here (i cant remember who) said shooters ought NOT to ring in advance because the police will expect it every time and eventually it will become mandatory. Your post clearly shows its already happening. So to everyone else-dont ring it in! That was me. Now look what they've started. DSC 1 all over again/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 likewise never phoned and never will unless its a real high risk of frequent ARV call out ( perhaps better to not even use a gun if thats the case). Got a story about a copper who grabbed a couple of pigeon shooters and said he wanted a call to say when they would be shooting his patch on his police mobile. Well all stopped quite quick when they started getting up a 4am special to phone him on a almost daily basis, just on the off chance they fancied a shoot LOL. Guys ITS BETTER NOT TO START THIS CALL STUFF! Legal activity, its up to them to desern not us to tell in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SakoQuad Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Just for info the 101 number is not free either it costs 15p per call from landline or mobile for as long as the call takes. Not a huge amount admittedly but why waste it doing something you don't need to do most of the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cant hit rabbits 123 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 I agree with most, its not worth calling in to report that you will be undertaking a legal activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armsid Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 as long as you have aletter from the farmer /landowner( or person who owns the shooting rights )with your name and address and likewise for anyone with you and,your vehicle reg.that is all that is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonblasterian Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have nothing in writing from any of my farmers.Still would never ring the police as it is not a condition to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armsid Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 had aproblem lamping some years ago luckily we had letter from farmer with all details if not we could have been done for armed trespass we checked with basc they said we had done the right thing having letter withus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh1 Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 had aproblem lamping some years ago luckily we had letter from farmer with all details if not we could have been done for armed trespass we checked with basc they said we had done the right thing having letter withus You couldn't be done for armed trespass as you had permission to be there,worst case scenario they would have called the farmer on the phone or visited him to confirm you had a right to be there. You don't have to phone and you don't need to carry your permission slips,sometimes the slips can save you time,but there are occasions that pc plod does not believe the piece of paper handed to him and will still call the farmer to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonblasterian Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 had aproblem lamping some years ago luckily we had letter from farmer with all details if not we could have been done for armed trespass we checked with basc they said we had done the right thing having letter withus You do not have to have permission in writing. Cannot see how you can be done for armed trespass if you have permission to be on the land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Chaps, The person at the end of the phone line will likely not be a police officer but civilian call handler. They are under immense pressure not to screw up so they will often take more and ask more than is necessary. Giving the car registration could be handy as members of the public do ring up a lot saying this or that car is parked up and it looks unusual or out of place. That would then save time for us. Likewise if someone phones up saying I've seen a bloke with a gun and he got out of this car we can deal with it without sending anyone out. Same for the timings. Also remember these call handlers are not legal experts. It's not their job so they can't know everything. They take calls from people about absolutely everything and I'm sure you have seen the sort of stuff I'm on about on tv. Having said that there is no requirement to inform the police. I don't and have no intention of doing so but if you do have the courtesy to let them know when your done if its asked as they can then shut the log down and know your not there later when shots are heard and it might be poachers. I forgot to say when you phone up and they create a log depending on the type of call a certain set of questions are generated. They can be quite general so some of the questions might not seem meaningful to you but they would be to reports of someone shooting/poaching who has a vehicle nearby. Don't take it to heart and don't dwell on it. You will just be one of thousands of people to call the police that day. Remember 5WH......Who , What, Where, When, Why, How.......the police ask questions.....it's what we do! Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 As always there are some very macho responses here born out of little experience, or thought, in many cases. You DO NOT have to advise the police every time you go out, nor do you have to use a 101 number, neither do you have to take any stick from the operator. Your URN, or whatever your region calls it, stays live for 3 months, so you do not have to phone every time you go. You have to be realistic and sensible and use your brains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 You couldn't be done for armed trespass as you had permission to be there,worst case scenario they would have called the farmer on the phone or visited him to confirm you had a right to be there. You don't have to phone and you don't need to carry your permission slips,sometimes the slips can save you time,but there are occasions that pc plod does not believe the piece of paper handed to him and will still call the farmer to confirm. But you could be arrested until such time as the officers were happy that you had permission to be there. If I were the officer and was not happy with the details given I would be contacting the landowners then and there to get an answer. If that was not possible I would probably ask you to leave the land until I have been able to clarify if any offences have taken place and follow it up slow time. That would mean nobody getting arrested at the scene and no guns would have to be seized. Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 With this talk of having your written permission with you it got me wondering. If I were to be stopped by the police while out shooting, I would just say it was my land so I don't have written permission. Then what? They can't find my place when I ring up and ask them to attend (burglars, trespassers etc.) how the Hell are they ever going to call the land owner (me) when they haven't a clue where they are half the time never mind whose field it is. Not meant at a dig at the police in general but I have had some pretty poor service off them at times. You could turn that around, if they caught someone shooting on my land with/without permission, how are they going to get hold of me to ask? They may find my landline number by some miracle but I am rarely there to answer it and often don't bother when I am at home (only ever double glazing salesmen or police mithering about shooters ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted October 26, 2012 Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 Knock on a few local doors and you can usually find out who owns the land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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