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Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:03 pm
by Gaz
Ex-cop tries telling porkies, unintentionally reveals he's got a huge problem on his hands.
Martyn Underhill, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, has revealed in an astonishing rant that his force is unable to stick to the nationally agreed level of costs for issuing firearm certificates.
In an open letter published on his official PCC website, Underhill – a former police employee – makes repeated claims that firearms licensing “costs” Dorset Police £250,000 a year, adding that his force spends £218 to issue a single firearm certificate (FAC)...
Underhill’s letter deliberately fails to mention that the Home Office review explicitly set the new fees on a full cost recovery basis, as Lynne Featherstone, then minister for firearms issues, stated...
https://ukshootingnews.wordpress.com/20 ... ing-costs/
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 8:44 pm
by saddler
Great news....says the man overnighting in Boscombe prior to a job interview in Poole tomorrow
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:09 pm
by StanDeasy
How much does Underhill and his office "cost" per year I wonder?
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:11 pm
by Sixshot6
StanDeasy wrote:How much does Underhill and his office "cost" per year I wonder?
Don't forget the minions and underlings either.
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:18 pm
by daman
Dropped a comment on their site asking why they are so inefficient... will see if they reply.
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:30 pm
by Outsider
You know... seeing as it costs so much to process these licenses, surely we should cut the license and save the police a lot of money?

Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:40 pm
by Blu
StanDeasy wrote:How much does Underhill and his office "cost" per year I wonder?
£870,000 per year.
http://www.dorset.pcc.police.uk/informa ... d-and-how/
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:44 pm
by daman
Obviously simplifying, ignoring transport costs and a few clerical staff, but:
14500 licences per year @ £88 each = a pot of £1276000
253 working days a year = you need under 60 processed per day (57)
assuming an FEO can do 3 interviews a day = 20 FEOs
£1276000 / 20 = £63800 per annum each
Lets say only 2 per day = 30 FEOs
£1276000 / 30 = £42533 per annum each
Lets say 1 per day = 60 FEOs
£1276000 / 60 = £21266 per annum each
So it's tight, but hard to see how he needs another £250K pa
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 10:31 pm
by artiglio
Don't forget he's only listing the income as if they were all grants, seeing as in a 5 year period he'll be doing far more renewals than grants and renewals will be far less work (and less income) also he's not including income from variations.
He'll also be using a figure for expense incurred that covers everything imaginable, for example my local council put a figure of around £70 / hour on a council officers time when all factors are included. Which will include many fixed costs, incurred by the force whether they dealt with licences or not
Re: Dorset PCC admits his force has lost control of FAC fees
Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:10 am
by meles meles
A word, oomans, a word.
You don't have a 'licence'. You have a certificate that proves you are of good character and have been deemed a safe and fit person to exercise your right to own a firearm. The difference is very important. The legislation states that once the test of fitness is passed "a certificate shall be granted" in accordance with the pre-existing common law of the country. Politicians and others try to spin it in many other ways, even in the foreword to 'Guidance', but they are wrong to do so.