Nottinghamshire Police officer 'offered loaded gun to girl'

A girl was offered a loaded gun by a police officer before he accidentally fired it causing her an injury, her mother has said.

The seven-year-old suffered a minor lip injury when a bullet casing from the assault rifle hit her after it was shot into the ground in Nottinghamshire.

The unnamed officer was taken off firearms duties following an incompetency hearing.

The officer said he did not remember the weapon being offered to the girl.

Her mother told the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) her daughter was offered the gun for a photograph shortly before it was fired at police headquarters in October 2014.

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The IPCC, which has released a report into the incident, external, asked the officer about the mother's allegation and he said it was "not something I recall specifically".

He went on to say: "That's not to say that it maybe didn't happen, it's certainly something I don't recall".

The girl, from Worksop, was on a tour of the force's headquarters in Arnold with a group of youngsters, aged six to 13, and their parents.

She suffered a burn to her lip when she was hit in the face after the gun, a Heckler & Koch G36C assault rifle, was fired.

Derrick Campbell, from the IPCC, said: "The seriousness of this matter cannot be underestimated. It is through good fortune that no one was more seriously injured.

"The officer's actions, while not deliberate, posed a genuine risk to those present."

The officer involved told the IPCC: "I feel utterly ashamed and embarrassed to have made such a mistake by not noticing and removing the magazine."

He said he was "deeply sorry for any inconvenience" caused to the public and Nottinghamshire Police.

Following the investigation, the IPCC concluded that operational firearms officers must keep their weapons loaded and therefore should not be involved in community events.

The report also criticised Nottinghamshire Police for not having a policy in place regarding firearms at public events or carrying out a risk assessment before the display.

The IPCC dismissed claims of a cover-up, stating that it would be appropriate to ask parents to keep the incident "contained" while an investigation was carried out - although the chief constable denied this happened.

In a statement, Chief Constable Chris Eyre said: "Public safety is our number one priority and we do not take lightly the recommendations made in the report in respect of operational firearms and public displays and our training of firearms officers."

Another officer, involved in the incident, has since left the firearms department while a third has been recommended to undergo further training.

The incident was the third accidental discharge of a firearm by Nottinghamshire Police in 18 months, the IPCC said.