A photograph acquired by the Manchester Evening News of firearms police officers ‘fooling around’ with a shotgun during a training session made it into several national titles.

In an exclusive story reporter Neal Keeling told how the newspaper got its hands on the picture last week and decided to publish it in the public interest.

It shows two specialist armed officers from Greater Manchester Police in full kit. One is pointing a weapon at the other who is posing on the bonnet of the unit’s Land Rover Defender armoured car.

Publication of the photo follows the Crown Prosecution Service’s announcement earlier this month of its decision not to prosecute anyone over the death of Ian Terry, an officer who died during a role-playing exercise in Manchester in 2008.

Said Neal “I felt that the picture was of public interest, as three years after the death of PC Terry, officers from that same elite unit apparently thought it was appropriate to clown around with firearms.

“Like any decent regional newspaper we have good sources. The picture was acquired legitimately. The investigation into it had taken place last June, but obviously GMP were not going to publicise such an embarrassing episode. The picture was acquired by the MEN last week and after first checking its authenticity we published it.”

He added that a key factor regarding the decision to publish was that the picture had been taken by an instructor.

Police launched an investigation after the picture was found on a computer during an unrelated raid on another officer’s home last June.

It is understood the photo was taken by an instructor at the force’s Tactical Firearms Unit, who has now been transferred out of the firearms unit following an inquiry by GMP’s Professional Standards branch.

The officers in the picture have also been moved out of the Tactical Firearms Unit and on to other divisions.

The MEN ran the story on Wednesday and it was quickly followed up by national newspapers such as The Telegraph and Daily Mail.

The family of PC Ian Terry, who died after he was wounded during a cops and robbers training exercise at an empty warehouse in June 2008 told the MEN they were extremely distressed by the picture.

The photos were taken around the same time that an inquest into his death was taking place.

The Health and Safety Executive is to prosecute GMP.