Royal Protection Officer Dismissed After Concealing Lost Ammunition at Buckingham Palace

A royal protection officer, who was armed, has been dismissed from his position after he misrepresented the loss of a bullet within the Buckingham Palace grounds and concealed this information for a period of eight days. Stephen Cotgreave, while conducting a solo foot patrol in the palace gardens on December 6, 2022, inadvertently dropped the magazine – which is the component of a gun designed to hold or store ammunition prior to firing – from his service weapon. He retrieved the magazine and reinserted it into the weapon; however, upon returning the firearm to the armoury an hour later, at the conclusion of his shift, it was discovered that a single round of ammunition was absent. The officer, then aged 48, was questioned regarding the unaccounted-for bullet, but he stated he was unable to provide an explanation and disavowed having dropped the magazine. This event, which was recorded by CCTV cameras, “should have led to an immediate and full search of the area” and presented a danger to the safety of the royal household, as revealed during a misconduct hearing held on Monday. This occurred on the same day that a demonstrator had thrown an egg at the King during a public appearance in Luton, Bedfordshire. Unyime Davies, representing the Metropolitan Police, informed the panel convened at the Empress State Building in west London: “As a result of PC Cotgreave’s short round, all the magazines were emptied and a thorough account was conducted, and the loading bay was searched.” When questioned whether the magazine had at any point fallen from the weapon, PC Cotgreave continued to disclaim any awareness regarding the disappearance of the round. PC Cotgreave, who was assigned to the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection unit, located the missing bullet eight days subsequent to the incident, specifically on December 14, at the identical spot where he initially dropped the magazine. The officer proceeded to the control room at Buckingham Palace, where he confessed to having dropped the magazine, stating that he had experienced feelings of “stupid, ashamed and embarrassed” since the occurrence. Subsequently, it was asserted that by not disclosing the incident on December 8, the officer had violated the force’s professional conduct standards concerning honesty and integrity. In a written statement dated December 14, he acknowledged dishonesty and misconduct but refuted the charge of gross misconduct, contending that he had panicked and behaved in a “moment of madness”. Nicholas Yeo, representing Mr. Cotgreave, informed the misconduct hearing that while he accepted the gravity of the issue, he also noted that it contrasted with 24 years of faultless service. Harry Ireland KC, who chaired the panel, stated: “We find the culpability in this matter to be high as there was a deliberate course of conduct by the officer which posed a risk to the welfare of the public and the royal household.” The panel determined that Mr. Cotgreave had engaged in an “abuse of trust, particularly as working in the royal household,” and because he had been “concealing wrongdoing for eight days and lying to fellow officers on three occasions” concerning the event. Mr. Cotgreave, who visibly shook his head upon the panel’s delivery of its verdict, was terminated from his employment with immediate effect due to gross misconduct at the conclusion of the hearing.