The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I'm not sure the ACPO was ever a good thing, it never felt right that an organisation that represented such an important public service was a limited (profit making) company!

I'd be interested to hear what folks think about the ACPO's decline, whether its 'frying pan - fire' for us shooters? Are Police commisioners a better option?

Here's a link for more info http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/dougl ... -for-that/

From what I heard, they were indirectly driving [dictating] firearms guidelines and attempting to change firearms law itself.

The Police are there to enforce law, not formulate it.

I am pleased that ACPO has gone their unaccountable power and influence was outrageous, so nice tick for the commissioners.

However I am afraid that what has given on one hand will be taken away with the other, I am not in favour of the politicising of the police via elected commissioners either and suspect that the demise of ACPO was down to the commissioners wish to have total power rather than the Chief Officers.

Whether the demise of ACPO and the ascendancy of commissioners will help our agenda remains to be seen, at least commissioners can be lobbied and put out of office by us so may be more receptive to those championing our cause.

However experience does not fill me with hope.

Be careful what you wish for

ACPO's none too pleased with that blog! http://www.acpo.presscentre.com/Press-R ... O-2bb.aspx

We're disappointed that the Telegraph has not published our response to a misleading comment piece by Douglas Carswell MP 'It's game over for the Association of Chief Police Officers. Thank God for that"

Douglas Carswell’s assessment of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) offers an object lesson on the value of primary sources. General Sir Nick Parker’s independent review of ACPO, commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners, is well worth a read, and has set Chief Constables and Police and PCCs together on a path towards a modernised and simplified national body.

Its first recommendation is that there is a requirement for a Chief Constables’ Council: to conduct operational and managerial coordination between independent Chief Constables, act as the focus for command and leadership, maintain links to inform policy and implement practice, and speak with a coordinated and independent voice on operational policing.

Falsehoods such as data being sold from the Police National Computer have long been discredited and we will have no hesitation in referring repeats to the Press Complaints Commission.

Everything we do should be about better protecting the public from crime. In a system of independent local police forces, an element of national coordination at a leadership level helps us do that.

The telegraph has touched a nerve there.

Mind you CPO's seem to be all ego so not surprising really.

Not at all sure that Police Commissioners have the power to disband ACPO.

Can they disband the Police Federation?

How about disbanding Union membership for Police Staff?

IMHO the newly elected Police Commissioners are on a power trip here.

I should add that I am not a great lover of ACPO....but it was originally set up to represent Senior Police Offers, who don't have Federation representation.

And some of the allegations made in the Carswells blog have long been discredited.

Its all political posturing and is symptomatic of increasing Political control of the Police Service

Sandgroper wrote:ACPO's none too pleased with that blog! http://www.acpo.presscentre.com/Press-R ... O-2bb.aspx

We're disappointed that the Telegraph has not published our response to a misleading comment piece by Douglas Carswell MP 'It's game over for the Association of Chief Police Officers. Thank God for that"

Douglas Carswell’s assessment of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) offers an object lesson on the value of primary sources. General Sir Nick Parker’s independent review of ACPO, commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners, is well worth a read, and has set Chief Constables and Police and PCCs together on a path towards a modernised and simplified national body.

Its first recommendation is that there is a requirement for a Chief Constables’ Council: to conduct operational and managerial coordination between independent Chief Constables, act as the focus for command and leadership, maintain links to inform policy and implement practice, and speak with a coordinated and independent voice on operational policing.

Falsehoods such as data being sold from the Police National Computer have long been discredited and we will have no hesitation in referring repeats to the Press Complaints Commission.

Everything we do should be about better protecting the public from crime. In a system of independent local police forces, an element of national coordination at a leadership level helps us do that.

My bold - bullsh!t. After being caught selling personal data for private gain ACPO Ltd set up a subsidiary, ACRO (Association of Chief Police Officers' Criminal Record Office) to do the same thing but provide them with plausible deniability. ACRO charges you up to £80 for a Police National Computer printout. You can obtain the same printout for a legally capped maximum of £10, under the Data Protection Act, by applying to your local police station.

Moreover, ACRO actively tells employers to bypass English and Welsh data protection law by applying to "Disclosure Scotland" if they want to quietly run background checks on their employees. Doing the latter is unlawful in England and Wales and can land you with a hefty fine. Do it through Scotland and you're immune.

As for the rest of their rant at Carswell... I've had these "rapid reaction" things from the ACPO press office in response to stuff I've written. They really, really cannot stand criticism from anyone outside the police. I don't think it's really sunk in that their gravy train has been abruptly halted and they're trying to shoot the messenger.

As for the PCCs ... FAC and SGC holders per county tend to outnumber their majorities. I don't think there's a right of recall but it's something that we, as shooters, can definitely exploit to ensure that those calling the shots on firearms licensing policy are sympathetic to our cause.

Further politicising of the police and coming up to an election which is likely to end up in a Labour victory, all we need is another Dunblane and we'll all be joining archery clubs

:55: Nothing wrong with archery