IT GOES without saying that something went badly wrong during the Thames Valley Police firearms training session at Kidlington.

A civilian worker is seriously ill in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after being accidentally shot. It is right that weapons training is given to a wide range of people who work for the force.

It is not only members of the armed units who are likely to have to tackle gunmen. You never know when or where armed criminals might strike.

It is clearly advisable that those who could face danger are properly trained to deal with such emergencies.

But it is tragic when someone lands in hospital. We probably won't know the full details of what happened until the Independent Police Complaints Commission has completed its investigation.

But the obvious question is why live ammunition was loaded into a gun on a training course. The victim - and the public - deserve a full and frank explanation.