SCOTLAND’S First Minister has paid tribute to a police officer shot and killed in Croydon.
Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon said: “I wanted to take the opportunity to convey my deepest condolences to all of the officer’s loved ones.
“This is a heartbreaking reminder of the danger police officers confront every single day on our behalf and of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe them as a result of that.”
The officer was later named as New Zealand-born Sgt Matt Ratana. Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick described the 54-year-old shot dead yesterday at a south London custody suite as a “long-serving sergeant”.
Police Scotland’s Chief Constable Iain Livingstone paid tribute.
Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, the head of Scotland’s police service said: “Can I also start this afternoon by expressing on behalf of everyone in policing our deepest sympathies and support for our colleague from the Metropolitan Police who was tragically shot on duty in the early hours of this morning.
“And also support to our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police and indeed to the people of London, the thoughts of the whole of the policing family are with those who have lost a loved family member, a friend and a close colleague.”
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.
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.
Dick said: “This morning we learnt of the shocking death of a much-loved 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 asked on BBC News.
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