Phoning police, to inform them your shooting -----er no more

[warbucks]

Hi Lads.
Ill often do 5 nights a week shooting, if its an area where i think some one might phone the police, ill phone it in, this often save me being stopped by the police, or if i am stopped, the quoted log number to them, and their on their way again, keeping their, and my wasted time down to the minimum.
I shoot in west yorkshire, and north yorkshire.
Ill start with West Yorkshire police (by this i mean the call centre), Friday, or saturday night's, it will take 8 minutes to get through to them, every time i phone it in i have to go through all my details, as nothing is stored, (unlike their colleagues in north yorkshire), depending on the operator, some want you to re call in when you move from one permission, to start on another (at 8 minutes on hold per time), There latest silly idea is to ask you when you phone it in giving you all your detail's "do you have permission to shoot there", i told them that i was offended by this question, and that if i said yes Farmer Smith own's this land, do you know weather that is true or not, "no we don't" was the reply.

Last night i phoned it in to North Yorkshire police, (which are normally very good) by my mobile number, they know my name address and the vehicle that i shoot from, all they usually ask is where im going to be shooting, start time, and finish time, but no, not last night, "we need details of all the land owners where your going to be shooting", last night i was shooting on five different permission's in North yorkshire, and i din't have all them detail's with me, even if i agreed to give them, this lead to a 10 minute difference of opinion with this operator, when i explained to this operator that there is no legal requirement for me to phone it in in the first place, and that it is a courteous act from me to be doing so, the operator said next time we want all the land owner's details, i said ok, i won't be phoning it in next time.

I have no complaint with the patrolling police, they have a job to do and have alway's been polite when stopping me when out shooting, its these's call centre operators and the rules they seem to come up with, which seem to alter all the time.

Dave (warbucks)

[mogurnda]

Dave......

You are not alone..... its the same here with Police Scotland. They are looking for all your personal details , vehicles , weapons being used S/gun FAC Nos. You give the the names of the farms and then they cannot find them.... meanwhile you are kept waiting... and again to be notified when you move from farm to farm. No more.... now they can come to me.....


David.

[Grahamcs]

I was told by West Yorkshire police that it makes no difference whether you call in or not.

[Trumpetier]

I guess I'm fortunate, in over 20 years shooting on my perm I've never been stopped once by the plod, touch wood

[Mole trapper]

Doing this for a living I thought it would be a good idea to inform the police what nights I would be working and where, but no they disagree, I said surely if I get pulled and I've got a log number it's going to save a load of agro? Definitely no they said! I if someone reports seeing you it will be treated as a firearms incident and we will respond accordingly so even though precious resources will be waisted, grief Wil be caused and worst of all it will be recorded as another statistic under firearms incident.

Never mind at least we have the piece of mind they won't attend if our lives are being destroyed by burglars.

[mogurnda]

Thats the problem with the Police Command and Control system.....If the initial call to them is recorded by the operator as a FIREARMS Incident .... However on completion when you call back in to tell them you are going home, if the operator fails to write the incident off properly..... ie All in order... persons on legitimate pest control , permissions all in order etc.
Otherwise every time someone requests a search of the system for Firearms incidents, their figures will have gone through the roof. With a lot of additional enquiry to be made to find those actual incidents involving firearms. Not persons on pest control .


David

[Grahamcs]

Doing this for a living I thought it would be a good idea to inform the police what nights I would be working and where, but no they disagree, I said surely if I get pulled and I've got a log number it's going to save a load of agro? Definitely no they said! I if someone reports seeing you it will be treated as a firearms incident and we will respond accordingly so even though precious resources will be waisted, grief Wil be caused and worst of all it will be recorded as another statistic under firearms incident.

Never mind at least we have the piece of mind they won't attend if our lives are being destroyed by burglars.

That's exactly what I was told.

[Grahamcs]

I'll be honest this is why I traded in the xvi for a Regal.

It's obvious it's a sporter and not an ar!!!

My new Spartan might cause a few problems though.

[Grahamcs]

I think in cases like this Walnut is your friend!!!

[longsider]

I've witnessed how long it takes them to answer the phone at their end and all i can say is its just a good job you wasn't being mugged Dave . They took far too long and the information they are asking doesn't make any sense. The last thing you want is the police ringing landowners at stupid o'clock to check that they know you . If the farmer has just got to sleep and he only has a few hours before he's back out again he won't thank you for having him woke up by a call from the police. I think you're right to stop ringing jobs in Dave . instead of knowing where you are just by looking at a computer screen they will have to spend half the night chasing your shadow or even getting a helicopter out to find out where and who you are and if they treat it as a firearms risk armed police will be called out and possibly be tied up with you when they are needed elsewhere on a real emergency. . A waste of tax payers money IMO all because of a jobsworth call centre operative going over the top .

[barrel]

It might be just me but I am shooting legitimately and doing nothing illegal. I would never call the police before going out as a matter of principle. Its like phoning the police before you go out in a perfectly legal motor vehicle, no one would ever do that so why the need to notify them when shootingconfused:.

Kindest regards

Barrel

[Alakar]

I've had this issue on a few occasiions.
My buddy and I were once stopped by the police on a barriered , gated secure self contained industrial estate, no issues , just suggested we inform them in future.
Next one was whilst parked up in a field , we went off down the meadow to notice torch lights around the
4 x 4. Came back to it and saw two coppers looking around it. They almost had a trouser accident when we sneaked up on them and lit them up with our lamps. Trespassing on our shoot !
The other one was when I rang to inform them, i was told that I was cruel by the female operator. I asked her to keep her opinions to herself and offered to ring back when we had finished to tell her how many we had got !

[Two200's]

It might be just me but I am shooting legitimately and doing nothing illegal. I would never call the police before going out as a matter of principle. Its like phoning the police before you go out in a perfectly legal motor vehicle, no one would ever do that so why the need to notify them when shootingconfused:.

Kindest regards

Barrel

Absolutely totally agree.

I got stopped by the village police officer in a place just outside York once.

I was in camo, hands full of blood and gun in back of car.

He told me I had left my fog lights on, I switched them off and we bidded each other good night.

I just don't think it's necessary and assuming you are doing nowt wrong, there's no problem anyway.

Personally, if someone was up to no good with a gun, I would like to think he would not get away with it because he phoned in and said that he wasn't up to no good.

[lensman57]

It might be just me but I am shooting legitimately and doing nothing illegal. I would never call the police before going out as a matter of principle. Its like phoning the police before you go out in a perfectly legal motor vehicle, no one would ever do that so why the need to notify them when shootingconfused:.

Kindest regards

Barrel

I like the bit about informing them when we go out in our cars. This is not so far fetched as if you have a tracker system they'd already know or the GPS of your mobile phone will report your location to within 30 meters. Personally I think that all the laws relating to gun activity should be updated and unified whether this translates into easier life for people handling guns legally whether sport, pleasure or business is not at all guaranteed.

Kind Regards,

A.G

[Jonjon79]

My mate always calls the local control room when he's out with his fac rifles. I don't know how he gets on with them.

My rifles are all under 12ftlbs, I check them regularly, I have a signed, permission slip and insurance. I've never notified the police.