Anyone dealt with Thames Valley officer?

[UKYankee]

Morning all,

Just joined Full Bore and introduced myself yesterday evening so here goes the first of many questions emrolleyes.

I've yet to find anyone that is in the Thames Valley region so not sure what the expectations will be from the fire arms officer that visits. I've become a member of a local shoting club but that falls under Warwickshire so I seem to be getting a few different suggestions as everyone appears to live north of me.

Basically my plan was to attach 2 gun cabinets and 2 ammo safes (his and hers) to an eaves ingress in the top bedroom of my house (I have a 3 storey townhouse) and then cover the ingress with a 'fake' cupboard making it look like a small eaves storage area. The window is very small and I have fitted window locks, plus the door to the bedroom is having a lock fitted to it as well. However, a chap I met at another club I'm joining said the officer might not like having both the ammo safe and gun cabinets in the same place / room. Also, will my property need an alarm? Requirements seem to differ dramactically from region to region and there doesn't seem to be any definate advice in the litterature I downloaded from the Thames Valley. I have left a message (or 2) for the chap at Thames Valley but I suspect it could be a while before I hear back from him. It all seems so much more complicated than when I got my shotgun certificate.

Would appreciate anyones advice.

Ta,
Dave

[shugie]

Morning all,

Just joined Full Bore and introduced myself yesterday evening so here goes the first of many questions emrolleyes.

I've yet to find anyone that is in the Thames Valley region so not sure what the expectations will be from the fire arms officer that visits. I've become a member of a local shoting club but that falls under Warwickshire so I seem to be getting a few different suggestions as everyone appears to live north of me.

Basically my plan was to attach 2 gun cabinets and 2 ammo safes (his and hers) to an eaves ingress in the top bedroom of my house (I have a 3 storey townhouse) and then cover the ingress with a 'fake' cupboard making it look like a small eaves storage area. The window is very small and I have fitted window locks, plus the door to the bedroom is having a lock fitted to it as well. However, a chap I met at another club I'm joining said the officer might not like having both the ammo safe and gun cabinets in the same place / room. Also, will my property need an alarm? Requirements seem to differ dramactically from region to region and there doesn't seem to be any definate advice in the litterature I downloaded from the Thames Valley. I have left a message (or 2) for the chap at Thames Valley but I suspect it could be a while before I hear back from him. It all seems so much more complicated than when I got my shotgun certificate.

Would appreciate anyones advice.

Ta,
Dave

I'm TVP area, and my local FEO has been more than helpful, but I doubt he'll cover Banbury. He seemed quite content with me keeping my rifles in one cabinet hidden in a cupboard, and the ammunition for them stored with my shotgun in a breakdown cabinet in a different area of the house. He asked about the alarm, but wasn't fussed if there wasn't one it seems. To some extent it depends on the area and type of property, if there is a high risk (history of local burglaries) they may want an alarm.

I did ask him if they were happy about these combined gun/ammo safes, and he didn't seem to think that would have been a problem if I wanted to do that, so I can't see why there would be a problem with you keeping two safes in the same room.

Best of luck, they seem to be quite quick once the paperwork is in their system.

[dromia]

As Shugie has said it all about managing the "risk".

But what you appear to be proposing should be OK so long as the cabinets are attached to external walls.

The best thing to do is to contact you Firearms Licensing office and have someone to come out and discuss your proposals before you implement them that way you will know what they think. If they are anywhere decent they should be helpful and make positive suggestions about your security. At the end of the day the responsibilty for the firearms is yours and the police can only advise and then approve or decline your application, if they tell you what to do and then there is a problem the liability comes back onto them.

In the past I have had firearms licensing advising security that was way over the top for what I wanted to do, I politely argued the risk case with them and they relented.

However good and adequate security is something that all FAC holders should want as it protects their investment and the public by reducing the risk of firearms falling into the wrong hands.

[UKYankee]

Thanks for the replies.

The wall they are going to be attached to is not an outside wall but as the house is a victorian terrace its still solid brick; it's the same one that the cabinet housing the shotguns is attached to which was approved by the last chap who has since retired.

Dave

[rox]

The wall they are going to be attached to is not an outside wall but as the house is a victorian terrace its still solid brick; it's the same one that the cabinet housing the shotguns is attached to which was approved by the last chap who has since retired.

The "Guidance notes to the Police" are well worth a read, and worth having a (well-thumbed) copy in front of you when the officer visits. If you can demonstrate that you are familiar with the relevant guidelines and have considered them carefully in your proposed security arrangements then you should be almost home and dry.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicatio ... iew=Binary

Section 19 covers siting and fixing security cabinets and devices, and also see Appendix 7.

If a wall is load-bearing/structural is should be suitable, provided it is made of suitable material to anchor to. I chose a wall that was originally external, but now lies deep inside the house after generations of extensions. I'm sure a wall between attached properties would also be suitable in most cases.

..

[John25]

There is a Home Office leaflet

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicatio ... iew=Binary

:cheers:

[UKYankee]

Cheers for that John,

Yep, downloaded and read through that previously but it's all a bit vague with no real specifics. If I went by the 'spirit' of the leaflet then I think my measures will be more than satisfactory, 2 separate cabinets, 2 separate ammo safes, both secured to structural walls, hidden behind false cabinet, window locked and door to the room locked. However, if a problem can arise my history of luck (or lack of it) syas it will happen sign01 !

Dave

[John25]

You have done more than enough in that case.

Mind you, I had one chap in Devon, years ago admittedly, who, on inspecting my cupboards in the loft said, 'Well, it's all very well you having an alarm downstairs but what if they come through the roof?'

So I gave him the key to the cupboard and invited him to open it, as the key hit the lock the 6 million db (I exaggerate) alrm went off just above his head. :lol:

By the time I had returned from switching off the alarm he was deafened and disorientated, silly bugger.

[UKYankee]

Sounds like fun, I'll have to set up a similar 'anti daft-bugger' system :lol:

Dave

[Ginger]

Cheers for that John,

Yep, downloaded and read through that previously but it's all a bit vague with no real specifics. If I went by the 'spirit' of the leaflet then I think my measures will be more than satisfactory, 2 separate cabinets, 2 separate ammo safes, both secured to structural walls, hidden behind false cabinet, window locked and door to the room locked. However, if a problem can arise my history of luck (or lack of it) syas it will happen sign01 !

Dave

Sorry to be trunky Dave but why 2 ammo safes and cabinets? if one is for you and the other for your partner as long as you both are members or a local club there is no reason why you cannot have joint access and use.