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Diary of my SGC grant


jan8p
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I had my home visit last Wednesday and my cert dropped yesterday morning. So effectively 5 and a bit days from the visit. 
All in all 32 weeks to the day, the whole process took, 224 days. Not a great service, but all things considered, I got there in the end.

GMP are one of the five worst performing forces in the country, so some of you guys have every right to be frustrated if even GMP are out performing your force. 

Credit to BASC though, they really helped me out.

 

Good luck to you guys still waiting, I feel your pain.

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Do you have any idea what BASC did/said to help improve the process?

I'd be tempted to join BASC if I thought they could speed it up, but surely the force can just reply to them with the same lines they give us........understaffed/covid/etc.

 

 

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5 hours ago, jan8p said:

Do you have any idea what BASC did/said to help improve the process?

I'd be tempted to join BASC if I thought they could speed it up, but surely the force can just reply to them with the same lines they give us........understaffed/covid/etc.

 

 

I messaged them telling them my tale of woe, the guy replied to me saying he knew most heads of licensing and would ask for some info. He then got back to me saying he’d been in touch, they’d checked on my application and I was due to get my visit appointment within the next fortnight. I think having an official body, with a history of criticising forces and taking them to task, might have made them a little more helpful.

The trouble is, when you contact them, your email or call goes to a caseworker, they just trot out the party line. Your enquiry never gets as far as the people who can actually answer your questions. 
I asked the guy at BASC if it was worth complaining to speed things up, he said they’d suspend my application, while they looked into my complaint.

If I were you, I’d try to find out your forces head of licensing, then either write to him direct, or ask to speak to him. The caseworkers are there as a buffer it seems.

Edited by ChrisO
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Slight update...... apparently my application has been passed over to my local FEO to arrange a visit.

Have been waiting a couple of weeks, no contact yet. Nothing happens quickly at any stage it seems 😂

Edited by jan8p
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  • 4 weeks later...

End is in sight I think! 

Had my FEO visit the other day, he was happy with everything, cabinet checked, only thing he wanted was a letter from someone I've shot with to confirm they've seen me handle a gun safely etc, seems a bit of a box ticking exercise which I didn't think was necessary for a SGC.

Anyway, no issue and I've had someone who I shoot with contact them, so they say it should be a couple of weeks and I'll get my SGC in the post.

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53 minutes ago, jan8p said:

Why do you think that?  Are you happy for organisations to provide bad service and the public should just put up with it?

If YOU were granting licences for permission to own a gun would you not be wary of someone who seemed just a little bit too keen to get his hands on one? 

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No, because the automatic assumption that someone is up to no good is somewhat irrational.  It's like saying BASC are wanting forces to dish out certificates with less checks just because they have the gall to produce league tables and call out forces on bad performance.  If some forces can process grants and renewals in 2 months, we have to assume they are to the highest of quality, and therefore a force taking 8 months should not be acceptable.

People putting up with it just means it won't improve.

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43 minutes ago, jan8p said:

assumption that someone is up to no good is somewhat irrational. 

What about making people wait for a grant to make sure it is really what the applicant wants and the application was not entered on a passing whim?

Renewals should, obviously, be done to a deadline (renewal date).

Why do you think anyone should be granted a licence immediately?

Edited by London Best
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Surely other than any medical reasons for not granting and criminal records what else is there to check out regarding the applicant? Secure safe? 
how long should it really take, I genuinely struggle to defend any force taking 18 weeks or more to process an SGC.

Edited by TK421
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27 minutes ago, Kojak_79 said:

18 weeks would have brilliant been waiting 49 weeks since they got my application. And 9 weeks since my interview

Mate had his interview, week later he had his certificate (Cheshire FEO) 

49 weeks is a total p1$$ take

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1 hour ago, London Best said:

What about making people wait for a grant to make sure it is really what the applicant wants and the application was not entered on a passing whim?

Renewals should, obviously, be done to a deadline (renewal date).

Why do you think anyone should be granted a licence immediately?

Why is it an individual force's place to decide to "make people wait" just because they feel like it?  I think licenses should be granted immediately (i.e. after passing through the currently defined process) because there is nothing saying it shouldn't be, indeed many other forces do.

If there was national guidance to say 6 month minimum for new grants, then fair enough, we all know the rules, we play by them.  

Anyway, I think this particular point is moot as I don't think forces enforce waiting periods.

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On 15/07/2021 at 10:50, jan8p said:

only thing he wanted was a letter from someone I've shot with to confirm they've seen me handle a gun safely etc,

I thought this part was a bit odd to be honest? A letter from ‘someone’ ? They just make it up as they go along, p1$$ed with power 

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3 minutes ago, TK421 said:

I thought this part was a bit odd to be honest? A letter from ‘someone’ ? They just make it up as they go along, p1$$ed with power 

I didn't question it, as it was easily done by the friend I shoot with, but still, you're right.

His point was along the lines of he needs to be comfortable that I'm able to handle a shotgun safely before he will send my application over to be granted.

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27 minutes ago, jan8p said:

I didn't question it, as it was easily done by the friend I shoot with, but still, you're right.

His point was along the lines of he needs to be comfortable that I'm able to handle a shotgun safely before he will send my application over to be granted.

I bet that will be the next thing they hit us with. We will have to pay to attend a shotgun handling and safety course prior to applying for your SGC. 

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Quote

only thing he wanted was a letter from someone I've shot with to confirm they've seen me handle a gun safely etc,

I too found this very odd. How would they know that someone, who you has seen you handling a gun, was competent enough to make that judgement? What if you had never handled a shotgun?

Edited by Gordon R
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