WELLINGTON, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand Police are investigating how a loaded police pistol came to be left in a bathroom at the national Parliament in Wellington.
The Glock pistol was accidentally left in the bathroom briefly on Thursday, Superintendent Chris Scahill said in a statement Friday.
"As soon as police were made aware that the firearm had been left in the bathroom, staff attended and recovered it from the occupant, and we would like to thank them for their assistance," said Scahill.
"This was a regrettable incident that we are taking seriously, and we acknowledge the potential risk that this could have posed."
The New Zealand Parliament was sitting on Thursday, meaning legislators were in the building.
The Parliamentary Service agency told Radio New Zealand that it was aware of the incident, but could not say who had found the gun.
It was conducting its own internal review.
