Tony Blair's bodyguard suspended after leaving gun in coffee shop

Published on Thursday 4 September 2008 10:29

TONY Blair's former close protection officer has been "removed from operational duties" after leaving a gun in a coffee shop, police said today.

A member of the public found the pistol, believed to be a semi-automatic Glock 17, in the toilets of a Starbucks cafe in central London.

The police firearms officer has now been suspended from duty while an investigation is carried out, the Metropolitan police confirmed.

It is believed that the gun was left on the floor of the cafe's only toilet for 20 minutes last Friday.

The officer involved, who was once Tony Blair's close protection officer, is thought to be a high-flying female officer in her 30s.

The Sun newspaper reported that she took off the belt holding the firearm when she used the toilet and then bought a coffee, forgetting she had left the gun behind.

The pistol was eventually linked to her when police compared its serial number to those logged at a police armoury.

A Met police spokesman said: "A police-issue firearm was left unattended in a central London cafe on August 29 and was found by a member of the public.

"The weapon belongs to a Metropolitan Police authorised firearms officer who was on duty at the time."

The Met today denied that the officer had been fired.

A spokeswoman explained: "The officer has been removed from operational duties while an investigation is carried out."

The investigation is being carried out by Scotland Yard's Directorate of Professional Standards.

A police source said: "It's an extremely unusual incident, I can't recall anything quite like this happening before."

A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police Federation said: "We wouldn't comment on this as it's an ongoing matter.

"The case is being looked at by one of our representatives."