Officer killed himself with Bedfordshire Police armoury gun - coroner

Sgt Sean Duignan was found dead at the police unit, which is nearly a mile away from the terminal building at Luton Airport

There was a "serious failure" to safely manage a police armoury where an officer accessed a gun used to kill himself, a coroner said.

Sgt Sean Duignan, 44, was found dead on the gym floor of the police unit at Luton Airport in May last year.

An inquest heard Sgt Duignan was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving two days before his death.

Assistant coroner for Bedfordshire, Sean Cummings, said the "lax approach to safety" was "extraordinary".

He concluded Sgt Duignan, an officer with Bedfordshire Police, died by suicide.

• Police officer found dead two days after arrest

The inquest, in Ampthill, heard Sgt Duignan had been arrested at his home after a member of the public had reported concerns about his driving, and he was taken to Milton Keynes police station.

The coroner said: "Custody staff, mental and health care professionals and his very close friend Jamie Langwith all made repeated and clear inquiries relating to his welfare and were all reassured."

The inquest heard Sgt Duignan used his knowledge of the armoury system to "circumvent" the block on his access card

Sgt Duignan had his armoury access rescinded following his arrest but this was not communicated to other officers "for privacy reasons", which Dr Cummings said he considered "an error".

On the morning of 31 May 2021, Sgt Duignan went to the Luton Airport base "with the apparent intention of using the gym there", Dr Cummings said.

He then entered the armoury and asked one of two officers present to accompany him to enable access to the facility, as was usually required.

PC Faye Willis went with Sgt Duignan and said he was "happy and laughing and joking".

PC Willis said Sgt Duignan presented his access card to the armoury reader and it flashed amber to deny access, but as the system was "frequently unreliable and often failed" she assumed that was the case again.

She then placed her card on the reader, entered her Pin, the door opened and she left Sgt Duignan, the inquest heard.

'Missed opportunities'

At 08:45 BST, Sgt Duignan had sent his friend and colleague Ch Insp Langwith a suicide note, Dr Cummings said.

Ch Insp Langwith "desperately tried to locate Sean", he added.

The chief inspector contacted PC Mackenzie, who was the operational firearms commander, and asked about Sgt Duignan's whereabouts and said he needed to speak with him urgently.

Dr Cummings said he appreciated it was "for discretion" but to not inform PC Mackenzie of the reason why was "a significant error".

"Ch Insp Langwith had received a suicide note from Sean; he knew him to be at the armoury," Dr Cummings said.

"He should, in my view, have communicated that in the strongest terms... and given directions that the entire armoury should be locked down until Sean was found."

Sgt Duignan was found by officers with a gunshot wound to the head with the police-issue weapon and bullets found next to his body.

Dr Cummings said: "There was a serious failure by senior management to effectively and safely manage the South Base Armoury.

"Overall, I find the lax approach to safety and security in the South Base Armoury by senior management, who were responsible, to be extraordinary."

The inquest heard Sgt Duignan's wife had raised concerns about the arrest with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which found the arresting officer had "taken an objective evidence-based approach" and "his actions appeared proportionate and appropriate".

However, the coroner said the arresting officer had made contradictory statements about whether or not he had felt the bonnet of Sgt Duignan's car, and whether he had spoken to his wife before or after arresting him.

"I will be remitting this once again to the IOPC so they can consider their findings on this again," Dr Cummings said.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic, from Bedfordshire Police, said: "The security around our firearms is of paramount importance and a number of changes in relation to access to the armoury were immediately put in place following Sean's death.

"We have also worked closely with both the IOPC and the College of Policing since this incident to review and enhance our security and will now take on board findings from the inquest to make further recommended changes."