Two female police officers killed in Manchester by gunman


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http://www.bbc.co.uk...ngland-19635239

Two female police officers have died during an operation which led to the arrest of a man wanted by Greater Manchester Police.

Police said both unarmed officers suffered fatal injuries during a "routine operation" in Hattersley, Tameside.

A witness in Abbey Gardens reported hearing 13 gunshots and an explosion.

Dale Cregan, 29, has been arrested in connection with the officers' deaths and two previous murders.

He was arrested when he walked into Hyde police station a short time after the incident.

A bomb disposal team remain at the scene.

The witness, a window cleaner who worked in the area, said the property the officers were called to had been unoccupied for some months.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said it was "a tragic day" for Greater Manchester Police.

"A long and dark shadow has been cast across Greater Manchester and my thoughts are with the officers' families, friends and colleagues.

"We will be doing everything we can to support them over the coming days and weeks."

The BBC's North of England reporter Danny Savage said he had spoken to an eyewitness who said they saw a police car outside shortly after 10:15 BST.

'Bang, bang, bang'

"After that car had drawn up it seems that the two unarmed police officers inside the car went into the property which had stood empty for some months," he said.

"Whilst they were inside around a dozen shots were fired and there was an explosion."

He added: "There were gunshots fired, possibly a hand grenade as well - that appears to be the suggestions at the moment.

"Those police officers didn't come out of the house again, the police car was left outside with its lights flashing but empty. Emergency services and colleagues were soon here offering assistance."

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "This is a deeply shocking incident and a terrible reminder of the risks that police officers face every day to keep our communities safe."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said it was "deeply distressing news [and] a painful demonstration of how police officers put themselves in harm's way every day to protect the public".

Witness Bob Sheppard was up a ladder cleaning the windows of a house nearby when the shooting happened.

He said: "I heard about 10 shots quite close bang, bang, bang like that. I knew they were gunshots because sometimes there is clay pigeon shooting in the fields.

"I heard a big explosion about 10 seconds after the shots. I got off the ladder, walked round, saw an empty police car.

"A car went speeding past to the main road."

The police flag at Greater Manchester Police headquarters has been lowered to half mast.

President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde, said the deaths of the two officers were "deeply sad news for the police service".

"Whenever police officers and staff lose a colleague that loss is felt right across the police family," he said.

"The thoughts of everyone in policing are with colleagues in Greater Manchester Police, family and friends of the two officers at this time."

Mr Shewan said Mr Cregan had also been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder in relation to the investigations into the murders of David Short and Mark Short.

David Short was killed in a gun and grenade attack in Clayton on 10 August.

His son, Mark Short, was killed in a pub shooting at the Cotton Tree Pub in Droylsden in May.

:(

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Please tell me that wasn't a sarcastic remark meant to provoke an argument. And noone says it never happens, it just happens less. Many grades of firearm are actually legal in the UK.

Yes it was sarcastic and it was aimed at all the people that want me to rid myself of my gun. I know shootings happen in the U.K and they happen more in Manchester than pretty much any where else in the U.K maybe london might be up there with them though. Also Manchester has a gang problem, I read a story not to long ago of a guy on a motor bike goin round shooting at houses in Manchester.
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Isn't this a bit odd, that the motives are simply "impossible to fathom"? This guy just called in a burglary and wanted to kill some officers? Sad indeed, I just wonder if there is something more here.

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Yes it was sarcastic and it was aimed at all the people that want me to rid myself of my gun. I know shootings happen in the U.K and they happen more in Manchester than pretty much any where else in the U.K maybe london might be up there with them though. Also Manchester has a gang problem, I read a story not to long ago of a guy on a motor bike goin round shooting at houses in Manchester.

Wondered how long it would take.

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Yes it was sarcastic and it was aimed at all the people that want me to rid myself of my gun. I know shootings happen in the U.K and they happen more in Manchester than pretty much any where else in the U.K maybe london might be up there with them though. Also Manchester has a gang problem, I read a story not to long ago of a guy on a motor bike goin round shooting at houses in Manchester.

The UK is safer due to the gun restrictions we have in place - statistically, perceptually, factually. Cities like London and Manchester do have higher rates of gun crime but it's still a fraction of that seen in the US. In this case we're talking about a hardened criminal with access to illegal firearms and grenades; in the US most mass shootings are committed with legally owned firearms.

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The UK is safer due to the gun restrictions we have in place - statistically, perceptually, factually. Cities like London and Manchester do have higher rates of gun crime but it's still a fraction of that seen in the US. In this case we're talking about a hardened criminal with access to illegal firearms and grenades; in the US most mass shootings are committed with legally owned firearms.

Hardened or not the criminal still got access to the gun. Proving that if someone wants a gun bad enough they will get it regardless of the law.
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Manchester does have gang problems, and Hattersley itself is considered to be one of those 'rough' areas, like Moss Side.. where antisocial behaviour and street crime happens most often, unfortunately.

On the subject of guns, I'm not bothered who has them if they're safe with them and they use them for the right reasons. Someone who kills innocent people with them needs to be taken out of society.

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Yes it was sarcastic and it was aimed at all the people that want me to rid myself of my gun. I know shootings happen in the U.K and they happen more in Manchester than pretty much any where else in the U.K maybe london might be up there with them though. Also Manchester has a gang problem, I read a story not to long ago of a guy on a motor bike goin round shooting at houses in Manchester.

I wasn't aware you're an expert on Manchester...

/s

I think we have a lot more cops per capita dying in the line of duty here in the US.

A Police offer hasn't been killed on duty since 1967 in Britain.

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I think we have a lot more cops per capita dying in the line of duty here in the US.

And the majority of those are killed by legal gun owners? I'd like someone to point me to statistics that say that. There are none..

I wasn't aware you're an expert on Manchester...

/s

I have a few people on FB that keep me aware of goings on in manchester. It helps me cut through all the B.S about how everyone in the U.K is safe.
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I have a few people on FB that keep me aware of goings on in manchester. It helps me cut through all the B.S about how everyone in the U.K is safe.

No one said everyone was safe, everyone is SAFER thanks to gun ban.

What does a gun ban have to do with this thread anyway, the guy was in an EMPTY house.

Wonder how many people were killed in America today thanks to guns.

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Takes a very special kind of scumbag to target Police Officers.

It takes a scumbag to target anyone if they're kozzers or civilians.

Not all kozzers are honest and up-standing.

Read about the one that thieved from my local ASDA here

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No one said everyone was safe, everyone is SAFER thanks to gun ban.

What does a gun ban have to do with this thread anyway, the guy was in an EMPTY house.

Wonder how many people were killed in America today thanks to guns.

Everyone says they feel safe in the u.k when they reply back to me on something gun related. I guess they've never lived in Manchester.
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Everyone says they feel safe in the u.k when they reply back to me on something gun related. I guess they've never lived in Manchester.

I live in Manchester.

In fact, I live in Tameside. :p

It's not like gun crime happens all the time. I've lived here 25 years and I've never even seen any gun or knife crime before. it's actually quite safe, depending which areas you go to. If you're wandering around the streets of Moss Side during the night you're bound to come across crime, but other than that you can go about your business without needing to be on alert.

Of course these events do show that occasionally things go sour and innocent people die, but it's not as common as you may be suggesting.

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Everyone says they feel safe in the u.k when they reply back to me on something gun related. I guess they've never lived in Manchester.

Safe from being murdered by guns yeah.

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Sigh this is silly. Anyone could die this way, if someone wanted them lured into a house even if the two officers had firearms, they'd have still died.

They were surprised by an ambush of a grenade plus a gun, I doubt they had any time to react at all.

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I live in Manchester.

In fact, I live in Tameside. :p

It's not like gun crime happens all the time. I've lived here 25 years and I've never even seen any gun or knife crime before. it's actually quite safe, depending which areas you go to. If you're wandering around the streets of Moss Side during the night you're bound to come across crime, but other than that you can go about your business without needing to be on alert.

Of course these events do show that occasionally things go sour and innocent people die, but it's not as common as you may be suggesting.

I lived in north highlands CA one of the worst crime ridden spots in sacramento and possibly northern california, Murders,mugging and home invasions happen there a lot. Did I see a gun or a knife out in the open? NOPE. Does that mean its safe. Nope. If you wonder around happy go lucky in the ghetto you're bound to get into some trouble and I have a feeling its the same way there. Saying its safe is just being in denial. Realist don't live in a fish bowl. You may not be a victim of a gun crime but you possibly could be killed by a knife or beaten to the brink of death by a group of thugs. Pick your poison. If i'm not mistaken the U.K has some of the worst crime rates in Europe.
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I lived in north highlands CA one of the worst crime ridden spots in sacramento and possibly northern california, Murders,mugging and home invasions happen there a lot. Did I see a gun or a knife out in the open? NOPE. Does that mean its safe. Nope. If you wonder around happy go lucky in the ghetto you're bound to get into some trouble and I have a feeling its the same way there. Saying its safe is just being in denial. Realist don't live in a fish bowl.

Yet again. Manchester is not California. :rolleyes:

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Yet again. Manchester is not California. :rolleyes:

Yet again you fail to comprehend what i'm talking about. Ghetto is ghetto. You're not safe in the ghetto and if you think so you're in denial. Ghettos have low home values for a reason.
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Yet again you fail to comprehend what i'm talking about. Ghetto is ghetto. You're not safe in the ghetto and if you think so you're in denial. Ghettos have low home values for a reason.

Yet again another thread becomes about gun control... I'm sure there's already a pretty lengthy thread about that somewhere?

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