Section 3 - UKPSA Internal Disciplinary Procedures
Introduction
- The sport of Practical Shooting, along with any other pursuits which involve the lawful use of firearms, requires everyone involved to hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct at all times. Within any sport or organisation however, there will inevitably be occasions when grievances arise or an individual’s behaviour falls short of the standards set by the Association. In these instances, the policy described below will be followed. Continued membership of the Association is dependent upon acceptance of this policy and the understanding that individual members will be held accountable for their actions if their behaviour falls short of that expected by the Association.
Code of Conduct
- Everyone is expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and behaviour whilst they are involved in activities directly linked to the activities of the Association. Association members should conduct themselves in an honest, fair, impartial and transparent manner; treating everyone with the same respect they would wish others to show towards themselves. Whilst not exhaustive, shown below are examples of behaviours which are deemed unacceptable by the Association and an indication of how they may be classified by the Association.
- Examples of Behaviour Which May Be Classified as Misconduct:
- Rudeness to other UKPSA or IPSC members, competitors, spectators, or officials.
- Cheating when competing, or officiating, at an UKPSA or IPSC match or event.
- Careless loss of, or minor damage to, UKPSA property.
- Inappropriate behaviour, especially where such behaviour is likely to reflect poorly upon the Association.
- Discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, sex, age or disability.
- Minor breach of the UKPSA Constitution, byelaws, rules and regulations.
- Rudeness to other UKPSA or IPSC members, competitors, spectators, or officials.
- Examples of Behaviour Which May Be Classified as Gross Misconduct:
- Theft or unauthorised possession of UKPSA property.
- Serious, deliberate or reckless damage to UKPSA property whether physical or electronic (for example e-mails or documents).
- Deliberate and wilful falsification of reports, accounts, or expense claims.
- Intoxication on the range by reason of alcohol or drugs when actually competing, or officiating, at an UKPSA or IPSC match or event.
- Serious breach of the UKPSA Constitution, byelaws, rules and regulations
- Fighting or other violent, dangerous or intimidating conduct at an UKPSA or IPSC match or event, this includes on and off range.
- Bullying, sexual, racial or other harassment of other UKPSA or IPSC members, competitors, spectators, or officials.
- Gross negligence or incompetence (excluding disqualification as a competitor) at an UKPSA or IPSC match or event.
- Bringing the sport, the UKPSA or IPSC, into disrepute.
- Sending or publishing abusive, scandalous, obscene or defamatory communications of any kind (including without limitation text messages, email or Internet forum postings) to, or concerning, the UKPSA or IPSC, UKPSA or IPSC Officers, members, competitors, spectators, or officials.
- Theft or unauthorised possession of UKPSA property.
- Examples of Behaviour Which May Be Classified as Misconduct:
Note: Whilst a complaint may cite behaviour or conduct which is categorised as either Misconduct or Gross Misconduct in the list above, there will always be aggravating or mitigating factors which will be considered before making any determination as to how the complaint will be classified. A competitor who has a dispute about the application of IPSC rules at a sanctioned match should resolve this at the event through the Range Master and/or arbitration committee using the procedure laid out in the IPSC rules. Such disputes would not normally be treated as complaints.
- The Association authorises the UKPSA Council and those members of the Association appointed to the Disciplinary Committee to deal with complaints. Additionally:
- The Training Committee are specifically authorised to deal with complaints received that relate specifically to the conduct of UKPSA Training Personnel
- The National Range Officer Institute is specifically authorised to deal with complaints that relate to the actual conduct of match officials when working at UKPSA or IPSC competitions.
- The Training Committee are specifically authorised to deal with complaints received that relate specifically to the conduct of UKPSA Training Personnel