Non-Subscriber Extract
Watchdog warns service over stray bullets
01 September 2009
The IPCC has warned police bullets could injure the public. (PA)
IT may only be 'a matter of time' before someone is killed by a stray police bullet because of the type of ammunition used by firearms officers, the police watchdog warned this week.
It follows the fatal shooting of David Sycamore on the steps of Guildford Cathedral by Surrey Police firearms officers in November last year. Two bullets hit the 39-year-old and both entered and exited his body, with one smashing two windows andáhitting a wall beforeáending up inside the cathedral. The other was recovered near his body.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission, in its final report on the shooting released last Friday, said the case 'raised concerns' about the type of bullets used by authorised firearms officers across England and Wales.