Police Scotland Re-Opens Survey on firearms and explosives licensing service for 2020-21
Summary of Findings from Previous Survey
One of the recommendations HMICS made following their inspection of NFEL in 2018 was that:
'Police Scotland should routinely assess user satisfaction with its firearms licensing service and use the feedback provided to develop and improve its licensing arrangements'.
As a result, a survey consisting of 12 questions was developed with the assistance of the Analysis and Performance Unit and made available to the public via the Police Scotland website in April 2019 for a 12 month period. To encourage participation, this was communicated to SPOCs, RFDs, the shooting community via the Practitioners Group and a link was included in our covering letter sent out with new certificates.
When the survey closed, 100 responses had been received. Whilst it is acknowledged that this is only a very small percentage of our certificate holders, the responses were useful in gauging the level of satisfaction with the service being delivered and areas where it is perceived an improvement is required.
The highlights are as follows:
38% of respondents were from the North, 28% from the East, 31% from the West and 3% out with Scotland
42% of respondents were applying for the renewal of their certificate
72% were satisfied/very satisfied with the overall application process, 12% dissatisfied/very dissatisfied
75% of respondents stated it was easy to get information, fill in the application forms and contact Police Scotland
65% were satisfied with the speed and efficiency of the service whilst 19% were not
74% felt that the officers and staff they dealt with were knowledgeable and professional whilst 10% were dissatisfied/very dissatisfied with their interaction with staff
There was the opportunity for respondents to comment on how the service could be improved. Answers in very broad terms included:
the inconsistency in the variations process across the function
the poor Police Scotland website
the lack of knowledge and experience of FEOs and that these should be dedicated resources
how online application forms and payment would be welcomed
the process is too slow
Police Scotland have told us that the issues which have been highlighted are either in the process of being addressed - the variations process/FEO training/automation of payments and applications - or are matters which they do not any control over i.e. legislation/GP fees.
New Survey Now Open
This survey has now been reopened to understand the experience of people who use our firearms and explosives licensing service. Please share your experiences of the licensing process and to provide feedback about what works well and what could be improved and responses will be reviewed again at the end of March 2021. It can be accessed from the Police Scotland website by clicking here.
This is an important exercise which will help Police Scotland identify areas for improvement so STS would encourage members to spend a few minutes to provide your feedback and also for clubs to spread the word.
Your Personal Information
All personal information will be anonymised and you will not be identified through the information you provide unless you choose to identify yourself in your responses.
By completing this survey, you agree to Police Scotland using your anonymised data for analysis and reporting that will contribute to continuously reviewing the firearms and explosives licensing service. Any information you provide will be treated in confidence and stored securely.
Complete this survey in a different way
Please contact us if you wish to complete the survey in a different way: FirearmsLicensingPolicyUnit@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Please note that this platform is not about reporting crime or providing information about an incident. To find out ways to contact Police Scotland, please visit: https://www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/