Police chief’s tears for those who perished
MANCHESTER’s police chief has praised his city’s defiance and revealed that he weeps when he reflects on the loss of Salman Abedi’s 22 innocent victims.
Just hours after Abedi detonated his bomb, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Ian Hopkins was briefing reporters.
But Mr Hopkins told how he had shed tears “in moments of quietness” ever since meeting victims’ loved ones after the attack.
He said: “I made the offer, within a day or so, to meet any of the families of those that died that wanted to see me and I’ve seen well over half the families.
“They are courageous people on an incredible journey that maybe they will never recover from. Time helps heal, but you don’t get over losing a loved one, particularly in those circumstances.
“It was about hearing their hopes and aspirations that they had for their loved ones and those being brutally torn away, that was one of the most difficult periods.”
GMP had its armed policing unit boosted by a third in 2017. But Chief Constable Hopkins stressed if every UK cop carried guns, then they will be policing by force and not consent.
He explained: “I’m not for the routine arming of police. We police with the consent of the people we serve.
“It would be a very sad day for the country if we moved to more of a European or American model whereby police are routinely armed.”
The chief constable praised the senior officer on duty when the bomb went off for allowing officers to help victims when it was unclear if there were gunmen on the loose.
Chief Constable Hopkins said: “It was a hugely courageous decision. It would have been inconceivable to pull out officers who were helping the dying and injured.”
Revealing the effect it had on officers, he said about 1,000 had been through a welfare programme with some “badly affected”.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Abedi’s younger brother Hashem, who is still awaiting extradition from a Libyan jail.