BASC aims to improve police understanding of shooting

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 12:00 AM

Following a number of incidents, police forces are to be given information to help them identify people involved in lawful shooting. The UK's largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), has published a new guide, The Police Officer's Guide to Shooting, which is designed to help prevent misunderstandings and reduce interventions by the police.

The updated publication will provide police officers with a guide to the various different aspects of shooting and details the equipment that people involved in shooting may have with them in different circumstances. Printed copies will be distributed to every police force in England, Wales and Scotland.

Mike Eveleigh, senior firearms officer at BASC, said: "We want to avoid any potential confrontation between armed police officers and lawful shooters and our guide is designed to reduce this risk.

"The guide contains a quick reference to the types of shooting carried out in the UK, - a sort of spotter's guide for police officers, giving them a brief description of the clothing, equipment, and behaviour of shooters, as well as where and when they might be found."

The guide should also prove helpful to frontline communications staff in police forces, as it provides information they can use if a member of the public contacts them to report having seen a person with a gun.

The guide can also be downloaded from BASC's website at http://www.basc.org.uk/en/departments/firearms/police-involvement-with-shooting.cfm

For more information please call the BASC press office on 01244 573031

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