Firearms, Shotgun and Explosives Licencing (FSEL) is an important police function which ensures public safety while allowing legitimate users to go about their business and sport in the knowledge that their activity is well-regulated.
It has been important to me to ensure that legitimate users have a good quality service here in Essex. Legitimately held firearms are only extremely rarely used in crime.
When first elected to this role in 2016, I met with a situation where FSEL certificate grants were taking an average of 44 weeks and there were over 5,000 shooters on temporary certificates. This was clearly a risk to the legitimate ownership of firearms and shotguns. I am pleased to say that, at my request, the Chief Constable instigated a review of the situation and rapidly implemented a plan to resource the unit properly and improve the situation. We made that investment, and since then the average time required for a grant has been around eight weeks. For historical reasons, there was a bulge in the number of renewals every fifth year. This would have happened in 2022/23. Through good planning and engagement with users, Essex Police instituted a voluntary scheme which brought 1,500 renewals forward into 2021/22, and avoided a recurrence of significant delays.
I am pleased that, as of my latest review of the performance of Essex Police FSEL this January, the average time taken to grant both firearms and shotgun certificates in Essex is one month. This is the third best performance in the country, after Warwickshire Constabulary and the City of London Police. We have only 3 temporary licences outstanding, and only 168 people waiting for their certificate to be granted.
Essex Police published service level standard is to grant or renew a certificate within 90 days. This is well within the current national Authorised Professional Practice guidance of 17 weeks. The team currently has sufficient resources to deal with the volumes anticipated during 2024 within the force’s published service level standard, which ensures that each applicant is thoroughly assessed but in a timely fashion.
We also have a well-established Firearms Licencing Advisory Group (FLAG), which meets several times a year and is attended by representatives of users and registered dealers, including BASC. I attend myself when I can, normally at least once a year, to hear the concerns being expressed and monitor progress. It last met in January 2024.
Licensing fees have not kept pace with inflation or pay rates in recent years, and the government is reviewing the statutory charges to ensure that FSEL is properly funded. In the meantime, I will ensure that the necessary funding continues to be subsidised from the police budget.
Reading through the guidance the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) have provided on their website, they are well aligned with my published plans and actions. I have met personally with BASC several times over the course of my incumbency, and look forward to doing so again if I am successful in seeking re-election. I commit to continuing to provide Essex Police with the resources and check they have the structures in place to ensure public safety and support legitimate firearms and shotgun users.
