Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Nation in shock as police officer killed
Long-serving sergeant is gunned down in custody suite:
SENIOR West police officers joined the head of the body which represents rank-and-file officers across the country for a minute’s silence in memory of the officer shot in Croydon.
John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, happened to have meetings with Avon and Somerset chief constable Andy Marsh in the West yesterday.
But they were overshadowed as news emerged of the tragic incident of a custody sergeant being fatally shot inside a police station in London.
A poignant minute’s silence in memory of the officer was marked outside Patchway Police Station in South Gloucestershire yesterday afternoon.
Mr Marsh and Mr Apter were among those who saluted their fallen colleague.
Mr Apter had earlier said: “This is utterly devastating and heartbreaking news that a colleague from the Metropolitan Police has been shot and killed.
“Our thoughts are with the officer’s family, friends and colleagues at this most terrible time.
“Policing is a family and when we lose one of our own in such a devastating way it affects us all. The dangers police officers face every day are very real and sadly, as we have seen, can result in officers making the ultimate sacrifice.
“There will now be an investigation and therefore it would be wrong to say any more at this time or to speculate, other than to say that our hearts are with the family of our officer who has been killed and all involved in this horrific incident.”
Andy Roebuck, chair of the Avon and Somerset branch of the federation, attended the ceremony at Patchway. On Twitter he said: “Devastating news. Heartfelt thoughts and wishes for the officer’s family, friends and colleagues.”
Senior police officers elsewhere in the West were quick to pay tribute.
Rod Hansen, chief constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and loss of life. Our thoughts are with all of the officer’s family, friends and colleagues.”
Keir Pritchard, his counterpart in Wiltshire, said: “The sincere condolences of all of us across Wiltshire Police goes out to the family of the officer, the colleagues and friends across the Met.
“Another tragic loss of life for the police service. Rest in peace.”
AMETROPOLITAN Police officer who was shot dead at a south London custody suite was a “long-serving sergeant”, Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has said.
The victim died in hospital after the gunman, who was being detained, opened fire at Croydon custody centre in south London during the early hours of Friday.
The 23-year-old murder suspect, who is believed to have shot himself, is in a critical condition in hospital.
Scotland Yard said no police firearms were fired during the incident at around 2.15am.
A murder probe has been launched and investigators from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog are on the scene to establish how the gun got into the custody suite.
Yesterday Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: “This morning we learnt of the shocking death of a muchloved colleague, a long-serving sergeant in the Metropolitan Police who was working last night in our Croydon custody suite.
“I have visited and spoken to our officer’s partner together with other colleagues. We are giving her the best support we can.”
She added: “Early indications are that the suspect shot himself. This has not yet been established as fact. The man remains in a critical condition in hospital.
“I understand that there is considerable interest in the identity of the officer but we have not yet been able to inform all of his close family.”
Leroy Logan, a former Met superintendent, said there were questions to be answered around the circumstances which led to the shooting.
“How did that person come to be in the station, whether it’s in the yard or the building itself, and be able to produce a weapon, whether it’s on them at the time?” he told BBC News.
“It depends on the calibre of the weapon, because obviously if it’s a small weapon and it can be easily in that person’s clothing, then obviously it brings another question on how thoroughly that person was searched, if at all. Those are the things the department for professional standards will look at and the IOPC as well as the investigating officers who will have to look at this thing thoroughly.”
The officer is thought to be the first to be killed in a shooting in the line of duty since Pcs Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, in September 2012.
They were murdered by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade attack while responding to a report of a burglary in Greater Manchester.
The Met sergeant is the 17th from the force to be killed by a firearm since the end of the Second World War, according to the National Police Memorial roll of honour.
Unarmed PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed in March 2017 by terrorist Khalid Masood during the Westminster Bridge attack, was the last Met officer to be killed in the line of duty.