THE PSNI has altered its firearms training after a female officer accidentally shot herself in the thigh while placing her gun into its holster.
The Police Ombudsman investigated the shooting, which happened while the officer was alone in a locker room at Strand Road police station in Derry in May 2015.
She told investigators she did not have her finger on the trigger at the time and believed it might have caught on the lanyard used to attach the weapon to her gun belt.
It was later found that the clip on the lanyard could cause the gun to fire when caught within the trigger guard when the weapon was holstered.
Further evidence suggested the gun had been fired while in the holster.
Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire found that there was no evidence the gun had been fired deliberately or as a result of negligence, and made no misconduct recommendations against the officer.
However, he recommended that PSNI firearms training be amended to advise officers to check that holsters are clear of obstructions and that lanyards must also be attached to weapons before they are holstered.
