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A bleak day for Scotland Yard and its officers as questions are asked about how a policeman can be shot inside a station

Jeremy Selwyn
Jeremy Selwyn

Police officers across the capital were today trying to come to fathom how a desk sergeant could have been shot and killed in a supposedly secure environment.

The victim was apparently close to retirement from the force and now his family, colleagues and friends are left mourning him rather than wishing him well for a new life away from what police fondly call ‘The Job’.

One of the officer’s colleagues tweeted: “The unimaginable happened to our police family. We have lost not only a good skipper but also a real gentleman. One of the best. RIP brother.”

Officers inside the custody suite today could be seen wiping away tears from their eyes as they struggled to come to terms with the death of one of their own.

Some lay flowers at the scene in memory of the much loved officer.

Murder squad detectives are trawling for evidence at the custody suite along with forensic officers. The investigation team will comb through CCTV footage captured inside the suite.

A suspect was being processed - his name and details etc - logged when the officer was killed.

As part of that process he would have his temperature taken under Covid-19 rules and it is believed the shooting happened at this point. This 23-year-old suspect is said by the Met to have turned the weapon on himself and he is in a critical condition.

If and when detectives can talk to him a clearer picture may emerge of how a weapon was smuggled into a secure area.

The killing has sent shockwaves through the policing community. An officer of the law has been shot dead on his own turf.

This is a bleak day for Scotland Yard and its officers - the vast majority who do not carry arms - who work to keep Londoners safe and expect to return home after a shift.

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