BASC has become aware that Durham Constabulary has recently experienced a problem with their renewal process. The renewal letters for March/April were not sent out to certificate holders. As a consequence, several certificate holders have received telephone calls informing them that their certificate has expired and therefore must make alternative arrangements to store their firearms safely and legally.
While the practice of renewal letters being sent by police forces is long established, and it is a good practice to allow the renewal process to be completed before the original certificate expires, the duty for applying to renew a firearm/shotgun certificate rests with the holder.
BASC advises all members in the Durham area to check the expiry date of their certificate. If it is due for renewal, or has already expired and you have not received your reminder, you should apply immediately.
Mine are due at the end of April, I sent the forms in over 90 days beforehand, had the visit from my FEO and all is on track for my certs to srrive about a week before the expiry date.
While I never received any sort of notification from Durham about renewals coming due as mentioned above, it's fairly obvious that as a responsible certificate owner I should make sure I get my forms in within a reasonable time period.
As I said I don't think I have ever received a reminder my certificate is due for renewal. Having said that I have all ways made a point of applying for renewal in plenty of time for them to process it. Any delays are down to them not me. I have never had a problem with a renewal.
I've always had the renewal forms in plenty of time. On one occasion when I wanted a variation close to my renewal the FLO took my certificates and gave me a "receipt" letter to cover me should there be any delay in getting them back to me before the expiry date.