Police firearms officer shot in the hand
11:32am Tuesday 22nd July 2008
Comments (1)A FIREARMS officer from Wiltshire Police is being treated in hospital after it is believed he shot himself in the hand while cleaning a weapon at Devizes Police Headquarters on Tuesday.
The officer was airlifted to Bristol's Frenchay Hospital after the accident happened just before 5.30pm. The injury is not believed to be life threatening.
A statement issued by the force said: "No one else was injured as a result of this incident. This incident occurred within a sterile safety area on police premises and no members of the public were endangered at any time."
This incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is mandatory with all incidents of this nature, and an investigation has commenced.
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jfh, Maple Plain, MN USA says...
3:30pm Wed 23 Jul 08
Anyone "cleaning" a loaded firearm is guilty of negligent firearms handling, period. The basic rules of firearms safety were violated.
And, your citizenry, as well as your professionals allowed to handle firearms, should also be advised that there is no such thing as a "sterile safety area" where both firearms and ammunition are present. Such thinking represents a naieve mindset about the safe use of firearms.
Hopefully, the investigation will reveal the deficiencies in firearms training and work to correct it. Meanwhile, I suggest the newspapers do more than put out police department press releases.
jfh