Police Approved !

[Charles Holder]

A little academic now but:
Question
I had a Gun Cabinet for sale on eBay.
Lots of people wanted to know if it was "Police Approved"
My Answer was difficult to quantify. It was not to BS7558, and did not
have 5 lever locks, but I had used it for over twenty years with police
knowledge. In fact when I purchased it, it did have Police approval as they
issued me with a shotgun certificate after inspecting my house and the gun
cabinet.
There are seemingly only Guide lines on the Home Office web pages and the
Kent police web does not state "You Must Have"
I even phoned Kent Police and did not get a definitive answer.
I have the impression that if they think its Ok, taking into consideration
You as a person, the location, the fixing method and location and the crime
in your area, a tin box could have "Approval"
Is there any absolute answer, have i missed something or is it all a bit
hazy ?

[Dave]

Hello Charles,

I'm afraid it's a bit hazy. There doesn't seem to be a uniform criteria when
it comes to approval of security standards. Some police forces insist on a
certain thickness (2mm usually), some on 5 lever locks, others have even
been known to insist on alarms.

There are no definitive specifications in the Home Office Guidance to the
Police 2002 and the police forces vary their standards from area to area as
per their chief constables wishes it seems.

So to answer your question no I'm afraid there is no absolute answer at the
present time.

Hope this helps
Regards
Dave www.kwacs.org.uk

Post by Charles Holder
Question
I had a Gun Cabinet for sale on eBay.
Lots of people wanted to know if it was "Police Approved"
My Answer was difficult to quantify. It was not to BS7558, and did not
have 5 lever locks, but I had used it for over twenty years with police
knowledge. In fact when I purchased it, it did have Police approval as
they issued me with a shotgun certificate after inspecting my house and
the gun cabinet.
There are seemingly only Guide lines on the Home Office web pages and the
Kent police web does not state "You Must Have"
I even phoned Kent Police and did not get a definitive answer.
I have the impression that if they think its Ok, taking into consideration
You as a person, the location, the fixing method and location and the
crime in your area, a tin box could have "Approval"
Is there any absolute answer, have i missed something or is it all a bit
hazy ?

[Derek]

Post by Dave
Hello Charles,
I'm afraid it's a bit hazy. There doesn't seem to be a uniform criteria
when it comes to approval of security standards. Some police forces insist
on a certain thickness (2mm usually), some on 5 lever locks, others have
even been known to insist on alarms.
There are no definitive specifications in the Home Office Guidance to the
Police 2002 and the police forces vary their standards from area to area
as per their chief constables wishes it seems.
So to answer your question no I'm afraid there is no absolute answer at
the present time.
Hope this helps
Regards
Dave www.kwacs.org.uk

Post by Charles Holder
Question
I had a Gun Cabinet for sale on eBay.
Lots of people wanted to know if it was "Police Approved"
My Answer was difficult to quantify. It was not to BS7558, and did not
have 5 lever locks, but I had used it for over twenty years with police
knowledge. In fact when I purchased it, it did have Police approval as
they issued me with a shotgun certificate after inspecting my house and
the gun cabinet.
There are seemingly only Guide lines on the Home Office web pages and the
Kent police web does not state "You Must Have"
I even phoned Kent Police and did not get a definitive answer.
I have the impression that if they think its Ok, taking into
consideration You as a person, the location, the fixing method and
location and the crime in your area, a tin box could have "Approval"
Is there any absolute answer, have i missed something or is it all a bit
hazy ?

I'd echo what Dave posted there is sound advice at
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/operational-policing/firearms-handbook.pdf?view=Binary
it boils down to looking at the potential risks and ensuring a suitable
level of security one gun held on Arran is looked at very differently to
twelve in Central Manchester
Derek