Officer warned after touching colleague with loaded gun

An officer has received a final written warning after accidentally pushing a loaded machine gun into a colleague’s chest. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) launched an investigation after hearing reports the Ministry of Defence Police officer had pointed the muzzle of his MP7 carbine into a colleague’s body armour. The IPCC believed the incident, recorded at the Bamfurlong Gloucestershire Police Armoury last April, had been deliberate and recommended the officer answer a case for gross misconduct. The officer denied intentionally making contact with his colleague and claimed the weapon had touched them by accident while moving in the cramped conditions of the armoury. A disciplinary panel found insufficient evidence that the officer had acted deliberately. However, it added that by failing to show sufficient care and attention his “dangerous” actions amounted to misconduct.