Chief's pledge over Pc killing

West Mercia police have "lessons to learn" following the death of Shropshire police officer Richard Gray, the force chief has admitted. But Paul West said it would be "dangerous" to point the "finger of blame".

The inquest jury yesterday returned a verdict of unlawful killing on Constable Gray and recorded that gunman Peter Medlicott had killed himself.

After the inquest Mr West was asked whether he believed the failings of the force had contributed to the death of a police officer.

He said: "We have had a very detailed investigation which has run for a number of months and we have heard evidence that there are many incidents we could take back over a number of years that may have contributed to a different outcome.

"So it is not fair and it is quite dangerous to point the finger of blame in any particular direction, there are lessons for us to learn."

Mr West said there were lots of fingers people could choose to point but said he was more than happy to take responsibility for failings if that was "the right word".

Mr West did not dispute that there were issues of communication between staff and officers on the day.

He said: "The inquest has been an opportunity to examine in detail exactly what happened on that dreadful day and the events leading up to it and to demonstrate publicly how the force has addressed issues that arose from the incident to do everything possible to ensure it cannot happen again."

Mr West added: "It has certainly had a profound effect on myself. As Chief Constable of West Mercia Police I feel a huge responsibility for the safety of the public in this area and for the safety of my staff and for something like this to happen we cannot help thinking 'Is there anything I could have done or anything we could have done to prevent this happening?'"

Mr West knew Constable Gray and said he had good memories of their friendship. "They are memories I will carry with me for a long long time," he added.

"I said at Ricky's funeral that he will never be forgotten and the months that have passed since have assured me that will be the case."

Mr West said despite the case, and the high-profile reporting in the press, which was needed in incidents of this nature, Shropshire was still one of the safest places to live and work and West Mercia Police intended to do all it could to make sure it stayed that way.

He said a very clear line of communication had been set up with staff in Shrewsbury involving any issues in relation to the inquest as it was unfolding. He added: "Part of that will be to seek to address concerns staff may have."