PC Ian Terry - The full story

Pc Terry, 32, from Burnley, Lancashire, brandished an unloaded handgun during the exercise while playing the role of a criminal fleeing in a car. The father of two was gunned down by his close friend as the unit practised in a disused Manchester factory.

On seeing him holding the gun the officer, granted anonymity and identified only as Chris, told the jury he acted "instinctively" and pulled the trigger on his Remington 870 pump-action 12-bore shotgun.

Pc Terry, who was not wearing body armour, was hit from a distance of about 12 inches by a blank round of a specialist ammunition called round irritant personnel, designed to burst tyres but deadly at close range.

An inquest found that Pc Ian Terry was unlawfully killed in the incident on June 9 2008.A jury at Manchester Coroner's Court ruled in March 2010 that there was a catalogue of failures not only by the officer who shot Pc Terry but also in the planning, training and safety measures taken by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) firearms unit.

Today prosecutors said there is still insufficient evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to bring any criminal. Mark Auty, CPS specialist prosecutor, said: "I have concluded in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors that there is still insufficient evidence for the CPS to be able to bring any criminal charges in relation to the death of Mr Terry. The HSE has separately considered whether it is possible for them to bring charges for offences that fall within their remit however."

Pc Terry's family said at the time of the inquest that he died not only because of the individual fault of the officer who shot him but also because of an alleged culture of rule-breaking, complacency and incompetence of more senior firearms officers. His father Roy said the family had been "led to believe" by police that the death of his son, a "devoted husband and loving father", was a "tragic accident". But after five weeks of listening to evidence at the inquest, they were left "appalled and upset".

Mr Terry also spoke of the family's "disappointment" in a number of officers who were his son's friends, because of their "reluctance to accept any responsibility for their actions" and accused GMP of "complacency at all levels", adding: "The officer with the shotgun ultimately caused Ian's death but we firmly believe there were many fingers on the trigger."