PERSONAL assistant Christine Rundle was forced to turn detective to investigate a shooting at her home.

The 45-year-old, who lives alone in the village of Westwell, called police when a shot was fired through her kitchen window that missed her head by inches.

But she was told her call was not a priority and after four days of waiting for a police officer to call at her house Ms Rundle gave up and carried out her own inquiry into the incident.

Now she is taking the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is asking for a full apology.

She said: "I heard a loud crack bang and my natural instinct was to duck. I knew whatever had smashed my kitchen window was much more powerful than a thrown stone.

"My heart was pounding and I didn’t know what to do. I stood very still and even though I was scared I had to look out of the window."

She found a ball bearing that had been fired from a gun and a hole in her window and dialled 999.

She added: "I didn’t expect flashing blue lights and sirens but I was reporting a firearms incident and did expect my call to be taken seriously."

The operator at the Kent Police control centre in Maidstone asked her to go outside and see if she could see anyone hanging around.

"OK, fair enough, I could see no-one but if it had been a gunman, he would have been hiding anyway. I am very cross that the police did not come to investigate this and I am going to complain to the authorities," she added.

After waiting at home for hours and then speaking on the telephone days later to a police officer and still unable to get a firm appointment, Ms Rundle gave up.

"I discovered that the shot had been made by a local child after squirrels with his ball-bearing gun and it appears to have been an accident. But that doesn’t change the fact that I was a woman alone and my call to police was ignored," she added.

Weald Police say Ms Rundle’s call was logged and passed to the crime recording unit since it was not a crime in progress.

Spokesman Rosy Alexander said: "The call did not fit the criteria for a patrol to be sent. Ms Rundle was updated."

She said the incident was then passed to the rural beat officer who attempted to contact Ms Rundle without success.

A police officer finally spoke to her nine days later but was told the matter was too late to be discussed.