Leicester police want you to check in with them!

[David BASC]

BASC refuse to support Leicestershire police’s voluntary notification scheme

 

 

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has refused to support a new scheme from the Leicestershire constabulary which asks shooters to notify them every time they go shooting.

 

Leicestershire police are proposing a voluntary notification of shooting events scheme which they claim will reduce the number of false alarms when armed police response units have to check ‘sightings’ of people with guns.

 

BASC chief executive, John Swift, said: “This is a half-baked idea that must be given much greater consideration. Such a scheme is unworkable and potentially dangerous other than for localised and very specific situations. Any scheme that is not tightly targeted will generate dangerously vague obligations and expectations that will not be met. I have called on Leicestershire police to go back to the drawing board and make sure that they have the full understanding and support of shooting organisations before they go any further.â€

 

BASC members and the wider shooting community seek to maintain the highest standards of safety and good practice and BASC will be happy to work with Leicestershire constabulary on any such firearms related issues that they feel need attention.

[flytie]

Keep up the good work B)

 

ft

[MJN]

Hi David

 

I agree, in my opinion :-

 

It wouldn't work, they haven't got enough people to answer the phones now,

I would imagine on a Sunday morning you wouldn't be able to get through on the phone with everyone ringing in to say they where off out to the local clay shoot !

 

Next idea , email or SMS, but then it would soon be ignored.

 

M.

[starlight32]

Hi David

 

I agree, in my opinion :-

 

It wouldn't work, they haven't got enough people to answer the phones now,

I would imagine on a Sunday morning you wouldn't be able to get through on the phone with everyone ringing in to say they where off out to the local clay shoot !

 

Next idea , email or SMS, but then it would soon be ignored.

 

M.

 

Too true and the next thing you will find is that it will become a requirement countrywide virtually making it impossible to go shooting should you not get through to anyone.

 

Just another obstacle for the shooting fraternity to have to put up with.

[al4x]

its barmy, I know mates who farm who are out every day of the week keeping pigeons on the move what are they meant to do call daily!

 

of more sense would be a register of landowners phone numbers that the police can call before attending to see if anyone is shooting legally.

 

Of course if they could use common sense in the first place that a man sitting in a field shooting is likely to be legal and isn't a murderer on the loose with a 12bore and really doesn't warrant the force helicopter and ARV's attendance.

[Warm Barrels]

Seems a rather strange request from the police,can see their reasoning though it may help stop them being called out BUT it would as said be a bad idea for shooters as the phone number would as said be engaged/out of action/etc and therefore hinder a days sport.Hope it does not happen there as it may spread eleswhere with disasterous results.

[sapper063]

i rang the police every time i went shooting that would open an incident report then i would close the incident report when i got back home, i did this for several weeks and then recived a phone call, from the police to say please dont ring us every time you go shooting as we know where you shoot ,what make of car, and we have you mobile number. if there are any reports of shooting they would check with me first, telling them you are going shooting every time makes a lot of incident reports over a month and does not look good on the monthly returns.

[Beardo]

i guess it's different with each constabulary - 'cos Herts always thank me for opening a URN each time i shoot - perhaps it's handled in a different way?

I just call the non-emergency number and ask to open a vermin control shooting URN, then call back and close it when i'm done.

 

it should definitely be a voluntary thing though - we're in a very densely populated area, so it's makes sense for me to do it - if i were shooting someone less populated, it would be a waste of time and resources

Edited April 28, 2009 by nickbeardo

[miffy]

I have been stopped by the Leicestershire police and asked to contact them when out shooting, i'm not going to be contacting them and had no intention of doing so after trying it with Derbyshire police many years ago, i was on the phone for over 20 minutes then hung up and went shooting anyway. Generally get stopped once or twice a year. It's mostly my own fault though and last time was when we shot 5 foxes off one field in 5 minutes with a .22/250...less than 150 yards from a housing estate at 1 in the morning, even with a moderator it was loud. That brought out the helicopter and the armed police

[Beardo]

what a waste of taxpayer's money

[Disco Stu]

The relentless creep of the police / government continues to threaten legal firearms holders lawfully going about their business. Keep up the good work BASC or we will end up having to ring the police to inform them we are taking the car / bike out, mowing the lawn or doing some DIY.

[steve_b_wales]

I think that this 'idea' will/could start off on a voluntary basis then may, in time, become law. I don't notify anyone when I'm 'out and about'

[Guest RemmySPS]

I think that this 'idea' will/could start off on a voluntary basis then may, in time, become law. I don't notify anyone when I'm 'out and about'

 

I think you are absolutely correct. After all DSC started out as voluntary and then became almost mandatory as the police began to demand it prior to allowing a deer calibre rifle. :blink:

Once you start volunteering this sort of thing it isn’t long before the police use it as a stick to beat you with.

[badshot]

Have a mate in the met who calls in each time he goes out. Couple of weeks back he had to stop as there were a couple of torches coming across the field towards him. When they finally got to him they said why did you stop lamping when we arrived you must be up to no good. His reply was firstly if i had carried on with two ***** running around it would be unsafe and you would no doubt have called in the ARU, and secondly why didn't he get a call to see if it was him as he gives car, place etc everytime. police response was "we don't check if we see lights we just go and ask". Whats the point in phoning in if this happens.

[RC45]

It won't be too long before you have to ask to go to the toilet

 

:blink:

[bogeye]

In Notts where i shoot quite often , we were asked to also inform the local constab. Thing is try getting thru to them ! "Hold on the line whilst we put you through" 10 mins later ona mobile !! NO thanks. :blink:

[markbivvy]

used to phone em all the time, until i phoned one night and got a new chap who threatened to have a car come and arrest me, as shooting foxes is illegal?:blink:??:rolleyes:??

[Guest RemmySPS]

:blink:

[Blackbart]

I have informed them once,a long time ago.I was asked "and why exactly are you telling me"so i have never bothered since.

I have been stopped once and when i told him what i was doing sitting in a gateway at midnight he actually apologised for interupting me and left.

[fieldwanderer]

never been stopped (touch wood) but the land owner's got a good idea - not sure if it would work in every case though;

 

He insists I park my car outside his house whenever I'm there, that way I don't need to bother ringing him or anything to let him know I'm going AND he's also added that if he sees someone shooting and my car's not there he'll call the police! Makes sense I think. And if the police knew about such "tell-tales" i.e. my car being outside his house - they wouldn't need to bother anyone. You could simply agree a tell-tale with the land owner or whoever and the f.l.o. when you first get the land approved / permission to shoot there - the police would know what to check for and everyone's happy.

 

only a suggestion....