TWO OFFICERS LEFT FOR DEAD
Policewoman fighting for life and colleague seriously hurt in horror hit and run being treated as attempted murder
TWO police officers were left for dead after being mown down in the street by a hit and run driver.
A 30-year-old woman officer and her male colleague, 31, suffered serious injuries after a Nissan Qashqai reversed into them as they tried to speak to its occupants.
It is understood the blue car may have dragged the WPC along the road before smashing into the officers’ patrol car and denting several other parked cars in its haste to escape.
Witnesses were alerted to the horror by the female officer’s screams as she lay in agony in the road. They raced to help from nearby blocks of flats before emergency services arrived and dozens of additional officers quickly flooded the scene.
The WPC was taken to intensive care where she received treatment for a number of broken bones and crush injuries. The male officer was admitted
later after complaining of feeling unwell.
Both were last night still receiving treatment in hospital.
The shocking attack on the officers, who were targeted as they responded to a callout in Banner Drive, in the Knightswood area of Glasgow, at around 11.15pm on Sunday, is now being treated as attempted murder.
A major manhunt is under way for up to four suspects after a similar blue Qashqai was found burnt out around an hour later three miles away in Lennox Gardens, in Scotstoun.
The damaged police car was eventually removed yesterday afternoon. Banner Drive remained cordoned off for most of the day as detectives conducted door-todoor enquiries and checked CCTV footage for vital clues about the attack on their colleagues.
Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, called the attack ‘a despicable and cowardly act’, but questioned why senior investigating officers waited so long before launching a public appeal for help in tracing those responsible.
Local residents were left stunned at the callousness of the driver’s actions.
One, who declined to be named, watched the aftermath from the window of his flat. He said: ‘I was just going to bed and I heard screaming just across the road. I went to the window and there was a policeman trying to get a policewoman back up. She was screaming. It was a loud and prolonged scream.
‘There was a dark-coloured people carrier. It zoomed down the road and hit the police car that was parked just further down.
‘It bumped into the police car and a few other cars and was off. A few tenants went down to offer help and then the ambulance came. By the time I got up, the policeman was down on his knees trying to help her. The car just zoomed away.’
He said it was too dark to tell what type of car was involved or how many people were inside.
He went on: ‘The lady was in great pain. Two ambulances arrived and it took quite a while to move her. I think they were checking her. A few of the residents came down with pillows and blankets to cover her.’ He said the male officer was tending to his colleague: ‘He was on his radio a lot. I couldn’t tell if he was hurt, it was maybe the adrenaline pumping.’
He said more police cars arrived soon after, adding: ‘It was inundated with cops. Then they went away again, obviously looking for the car. There was a helicopter out as well.’
Another resident said he looked out his window and saw both officers on the ground, adding: ‘The man was holding his head.’
A third resident, Thomas Phillips, 84, said: ‘I was watching TV when I heard a lot of sirens coming towards the street. I looked out my front window and there was a few police vans out in the street, and I saw around 10 police officers running past the house and up the street.
‘A policeman and policewoman had been injured. I hope the people that did this get caught. We’ve never had anything like this happen around here before.’
Yesterday, a duvet and towels could still be seen discarded on the street, alongside parts of the female officer’s high-visibility protective stab vest.
One local, who declined to be named, said it was like something out of a movie. She said: ‘It was terrifying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many police in the one area before.
‘The way they came in with cars and vans was like something you see happening in America or in a film. I just hope the woman that got hurt is going to be all right. It’s disgusting that someone would do this.’
Another resident added: ‘There’s been murders in the area before, but I’ve never heard of a police officer being attacked. It must have been something bad they were called out for if it’s ended up this way. I just can’t understand it.’
At Lennox Gardens, where the burnt-out shell of the car was found, residents heard loud explosions around midnight.
One, who did not want to be named, said: ‘At first I heard this constant, loud sound, that was probably the car horn. They couldn’t have been just pressing it as it never stopped.
‘I looked out the back and saw this really big blaze and that was when I noticed it was a car. All of a sudden, there were small explosions starting to happen. That
may have been the tank going off, it was really scary.
‘This all happened nearer midnight, so it couldn’t have been long after the police officers were attacked. It wasn’t long before police and fire engines were here, and there was a lot of them.’
Detective Inspector Ian Hylands confirmed: ‘Our enquiries so far have revealed that a blue Nissan Qashqai was seen at the location around the time of the incident. A vehicle matching that description has been found badly damaged by fire in Lennox Gardens, Scotstoun.
‘However, we have yet to confirm if that is the same vehicle. Despite the damage, forensic officers will carry out a comprehensive examination of the car.
‘Everything that can be done to locate the suspects is being done but I would like to appeal to anyone who may have seen the incident last night or who has any knowledge of the vehicle or the suspects to contact us.
‘Two police officers, in responding to an incident to help protect the public, have been badly injured. Help us find those responsible.’
Anyone with information is asked to call Drumchapel Police Office on 101. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
THE attempted murder of two police officers mown down by a car in the line of duty serves as a shocking reminder of the dangers the service routinely faces.
But doesn’t the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) raise a valid point when it questions why it took so long for the public to be informed about the incident? The officers were hurt at 11.15pm on Sunday but details about the incident were not released for another 14 hours.
Police Scotland claim they were following ‘clearance processes’. Let’s hope this unnecessary delay doesn’t hamper efforts to catch the perpetrators of this wicked crime.