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Jacking up firearms fees will cost SMEs £3.5 MILLION. Thanks, Plod

Plus Op Solitaire update: It's not as bad as we thought

Operation Solitaire: Police aren't out to monster us all

A source who attended an Op Solitaire briefing gave El Reg a full and frank assessment of the whole project. In a pleasant contrast to the doom-and-gloom others have reported, he said all went fairly well.

Policeman claps in London street

Huzzah: They're not all out to get us, you know

The briefing, delivered by police constables from our source's local Prevent anti-terrorism team, focused on preventing “vulnerable people” (i.e. potential terrorists) from gaining access to firearms, he told us.

“This – Op Solitaire – is a community outreach programme for the firearms community and building community awareness,” said our source, a senior member of an English rifle club who did not wish to be identified. “They wanted to get some dialogue going and tell us, this is where support is available and where to go. They're there to be called and contacted.”

“What Prevent do is identify vulnerable people and working with them to de-radicalise them, catch them before [for example] they go to Syria. Yet it's not all about that – there's also right wing groups trying to indoctrinate soldiers and talent-spotting for extreme right-wing groups. Terrorism is about across-the-board extremism, not just Islamic terrorism; think of the Red Brigade from the 1970s and other political/religious extremist groups.”

Our source's impression of the whole thing was that it was fairly well delivered, allowing for the counter-terror officers' evident lack of knowledge of the fine points of firearms law – which, as our source pointed out, was understandable from someone who isn't involved in the lawful use of firearms by civilians.

“Frankly,” said our source, “it would have been very useful to have someone there from the firearms licensing head office. That would have been helpful.”

It seems no firearms licensing officers attended the Solitaire briefing. Your correspondent has previously noted that Op Solitaire was produced by ACPO's Terrorism and Allied Matters division. Although some early input was made by firearms licensing specialists, with shooting organisations being offered a brief chance to comment on the draft briefing material, we understand that was the sole involvement from the firearms licensing community and shooters themselves.

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