From: Rusty�Bullethole, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sunday Express 10.9.00 Visit original page at LineOne: http://www.lineone.net/cgi-bin/loadcontent.pl?page /cgi-bin/drecgi/express/00/09/10/news/n0720-d.html EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID DILLON A Royal police guard is under investigation after accidentally shooting a colleague during a training exercise. PC Philip Colvill, part of the team protecting Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice hit a fellow officer in the arm in the latest in a string of gun fiascos involving royal protection officers. Last night 33-year-old PC Colvill, who has guarded Fergie, Prince Andrew and the young princesses at their Sunning-hill mansion for over a year, said: "I am very sorry about what happened and disappointed that I have messed up." Describing the incident which left him traumatised, he explained: "We were doing a training exercise in the woods and he was about 20 yards from me when I hit him in the right arm. "We were in cover and I thought he had moved out of my line of fire because I had seen some movement out of the corner of my eye. I let off a round and it hit him. I was in quite bad shock afterwards. "The other officer was in a lot of pain. I feel really bad about it but the guy has been really good and told me not to worry. "It was a stupid accident and I realise it could have been much worse. Six inches up and to the right and the bullet would have hit his head and two inches to the left and it would have gone under his bullet-proof vest." The exercise, with six officers and four instructors practising how to deal with an attack on the Royal Family, was halted while the injured officer, who is married with children, received emergency treatment. He was later taken to hospital where the bullet was removed. PC Colvill underwent weeks of intensive firearms training before joining a team of armed officers who guard Beatrice, 12, and Eugenie, nine, when they are at Sunninghill in Berkshire. His duties included patrolling the huge estate where Fergie, Prince Andrew and their daughters have family get-togethers. Last week Beatrice started senior school three miles away in Ascot. Since the shooting two months ago PC Colvill has been assigned to administrative duties while an inquiry is carried out. He has had trauma counselling to help him cope with the incident. He added: "I loved working at Sunninghill. I applied for the job because it is more exciting than ordinary police work. "At the moment I am on gardening leave and I have been told I'll never be allowed to work with firearms again. If anything happened again this would be dragged up straight away." A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said: "There was an incident during firearms training in which an officer was injured. He is now back on duty. "An investigation is under way and the officer who fired the weapon has had his firearms authorisation removed pending the outcome of that inquiry. No member of the public was ever in any danger." An officer from an elite unit that guards the Queen recently had a pistol pointed in his face after it was snatched from a colleague's holster. Earlier PC Michael Slade` accidentally fired his weapon as he guarded the sleeping Queen on the royal train, which was stationary in the Welsh countryside.He is understood to have fired one round as he took off his holster and a second as he tried to make the weapon safe. Last night Scotland Yard said PC Slade, 59, had decided to retire following an inquiry in the incident. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
