West Midlands Police fined £50k after firearms officer suffers severed trigger finger
West Midlands Police has been fined £50,000 at Birmingham Crown Court after a firearms officer suffered a severed trigger finger while using machinery used to destroy firearms.
At an earlier hearing Head of Human Resources, Chris Rowson, admitted liability on behalf of the force after charges were were brought against the force for breaching health and safety legislation following the incident in July 2014.
Speaking after today's sentencing Mr Rowson said: "Following the officer's injury we immediately prohibited the use of the machine in question and put in place stringent measures to maximise the safety of our staff when disposing of firearms.
"At the earliest opportunity we implemented the necessary steps to prevent this type of incident from happening again and have changed the process completely.
"Despite this unfortunate event, we are proud of our good health and safety record at West Midlands Police. We take providing a safe environment for our staff extremely seriously; ensuring safe working practices are adhered to is always a priority for us.
"Since the accident happened, we have supported the officer concerned and are delighted that he has recently been able to resume his specialist firearms responsibilities."
