A young man walked into a police station at Nice of France and came out again unmolested, after dressing up in a policeman’s uniform and stealing a gun, the police authorities announced today, after they rushed to start an investigation into this case.

Last Sunday night, after nightfall, the 22-year-old attacker entered through the main gate at the Ovar police station in the center of Nice, as reported by Frédéric Pizzini, the regional director of the Alpes-Maritime public security service.

After exploring the area, the young man went out again without being hindered, wearing a police uniform and a bulletproof vest. He also stole a gun – a collector’s revolver – and two magazines of 9mm bullets, like those used by police officers.

“The revolver dates from the 19th century,” Pizzini explained. “It was still working, but there were no bullets in it. It had been collected by the police as part of an operation for the voluntary surrender of weapons by private individuals.” explained.

The 22-year-old, who according to Agence France-Presse suffers from depression, delivered the next day to the police and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, six of which were suspended. He will serve the six months under house arrest, wearing an electronic “bracelet”. But he did not return either the uniform or the bulletproof vest.

The investigation of the case has been undertaken by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN). Frederic Pizzini clarified that the aim is to reveal any omissions and errors and to impose sanctions on those responsible.