Cop leaves gun in coffee shop
2008-09-04 12:00
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London - A British specialist armed
police officer is facing an investigation after leaving a loaded
gun in a Starbucks cafe in central London, police said on
Thursday.
The unnamed officer, who the Sun newspaper said provided
personal protection for Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair,
forgot the weapon after she visited the coffee house last week.
"A police issue firearm was left unattended in a central
London cafe on Friday evening and was found by a member of the
public," a Metropolitan Police (MPS) spokesperson said.
"The weapon belongs to an MPS authorised firearms officer
who was on duty at the time. An investigation has begun."
Apart from specialist officers, such as those who respond
to armed incidents or those who guard dignitaries, the vast
majority of British police officers do not carry guns.
The spokesperson gave no details about the person involved.
The Sun said it was a female officer aged in her 30s whose job
was to protect Blair, the former British prime minister.
The paper said the semi-automatic Glock 17 gun had been
left in a toilet of the cafe after the officer took off her
belt.
It said the officer had been relieved of her duties while
the investigation was under way.
"She knows she has messed up bad," a police source told the
Sun.
- Reuters