West Midlands Police has been fined £50,000 at Birmingham Crown Court today (January 26) for breaching health and safety legislation.
Charges were brought against the force by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a firearms officer suffered a severed finger while using machinery at the force’s armoury in July 2014.
An HSE inquiry took place and the force’s head of human resources, Chris Rowson, admitted liability on behalf of the force at an earlier hearing.
Speaking after the 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.”
