A MAN was accidentally shot with a Glock pistol during a planned police operation in Bournemouth, an independent review has found.

Kevin Sherwood senior, 60 and of Wimborne Road, Bournemouth, suffered an injury to his arm during an incident in Castle Lane West just before 8.30pm on August 8 last year.

He did not suffer life-changing or life-threatening injuries.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation after the shooting. Yesterday, officials said the single shot fired by a Dorset Police firearms officer was accidental.

Armed police had joined a pre-planned operation to arrest a man on suspicion of an assault with a knife. A black Mercedes was stopped outside the Broadway pub. Kevin Sherwood junior was a passenger in the vehicle, while his father, Kevin Sherwood senior, was the driver.

During the stop, an armed officer held the handle of the driver's side door to open it. At that point, the Mercedes allegedly moved off.

Officials from the IOPC now say the vehicle’s movement caused the officer to "involuntarily discharge their already-drawn Glock pistol through the car window, with the bullet hitting the driver in the arm".

Officers began to give Mr Sherwood senior first aid immediately after the shooting and before paramedics arrived.

The IOPC's regional director Catrin Evans said the investigation found no indication that any police officer had committed a criminal offence, or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings. The officers involved were all treated as witnesses throughout the investigation.

“The potentially lethal discharge of a weapon by a firearms officer merits our investigation," she said.

"We found the police stop was planned carefully with steps taken to mitigate risks to those involved and the public.

"Decision-making around the stop was done in accordance with force and national policies on armed policing deployments.

"We are satisfied the shot fired by a Dorset Police officer into the car window was unintentional, and brought about by the Mercedes moving off.”

While no concerns were raised about the performance of the officer who fired, the officer completed refresher armed response training before returning to full firearms duties after the shooting.

Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Julie Fielding said: “We worked extensively with the IOPC and the Crown Prosecution Service to ascertain the facts of this incident. A full debrief will now take place into the events of the night to review the response and to see if there are any learning points that can be identified.

“Thankfully such incidents are rare in Dorset and we wish to provide assurance that all of our officers and specialist officers undertake regular training in accordance with national standards to ensure that their skills remain current.

"This includes learning from all incidents.”

Mr Sherwood junior, 38 and of Craigmoor Avenue in Bournemouth, was formally found not guilty of committing grievous bodily harm in relation to the incident last month.

Mr Sherwood senior was charged with assisting an offender and dangerous driving. The case has also been discontinued and not guilty verdicts were returned.