By ALISON HORWOOD and NZPA
More than 800 police rifles have been withdrawn from service because of reports that they can discharge without anyone pulling the trigger once the safety catch is released.
The Remington model 700 .223 calibre rifles are issued to general-duty officers called to an incident involving arms before the armed offenders squad has arrived.
National police operations manager Superintendent Neville Matthews is heading an investigation into the rifles.
He said the recall was a precaution following an article in a deerstalking news-letter and debate overseas.
The article in the New Zealand Deer Stalkers Association newsletter last month said that model 700 had been at the centre of more than 80 lawsuits against Remington in the past 20 years.
In one case seven years ago, the company paid $17 million in damages to a Texan man whose firearm accidentally discharged and shot him in the foot. In another case, in Montana, a 9-year-old was shot dead by his mother as she was unloading the firearm.
The article describes the Remington 700 as one of the most popular rifles in the world with more than 3 million sold since it went on the market in 1962. It also quotes a representative from Remington saying that model 700 was safe and reliable.
The Remington website has special safety instructions for model 700 users.
"Even when the safety switch is in the S [locked] position, careless handling can cause the firearm to fire."
It also says that despite the worldwide decline in fatal firearm accidents, Remington is concerned about reports of accidental firings of model 700 and other bolt-action rifles.
Two accidental discharges of police Remingtons have been reported in New Zealand in the past two years. Neither was in a tactical situation and no one was injured.
"We are not saying the weapon is faulty. But issues have arisen and we are taking precautions until we get more details," said Mr Matthews.
"If the firearm discharges when you don't want it to, there could be tragic consequences."
The rifles are issued to police called to incidents involving arms before the armed offenders squad can be mobilised and for emergencies such as shooting escaped livestock on motorways.
Mr Matthews said that because the withdrawal left general-duty police without rifles, the squad had been placed on a higher level of readiness.
General-duty staff now had only 9mm Glock pistols available.
Huge arms recall leaves frontline police without rifles
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