Female Officer shot dead in Bradford

[Harryz]

One female police officer has been shot dead and another female officer seriously injured as they responded to an armed robbery in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Police say the officers were called to Morley Street in the city centre at 1525 GMT.

Surrounding roads have been closed and the area has been "locked down" said one eye witness.

Dozens of armed police are patrolling the area while police try to track down the gunmen.

One eyewitness told BBC News the robbery was at Universal Express travel agents in Morley Street.

Members of staff at the Asian family-run business were hit in the face during the raid and money was taken.

'Happen rarely'

Councillor Khadam Hussain, whose ward covers the area where the shooting happened, said he was shocked by the officer's death.

He said: "It is appalling. I really feel for the family. It is shocking. "This is a business area with a lot of restaurants and takeaways. It is not the kind of area you expect this to happen.


Police have cordoned off a large part of Bradford

"I will be arranging meetings with the police and other people in the community to see what can be done in the wake of the shooting."

Keith Hellawell, the former chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, said: "It is extremely sad.

"These things happen rarely, thankfully, but when they do the whole family of policing throughout the country is in mourning.

"And I think every sensible and honourable human being will recognise the sacrifice police officers make and the potential danger they are in every day that they walk out on the streets."

Mr Hellawell, the government's former drugs tsar, told BBC News officers responded to reports of a robbery in progress several times every day.

"This place, I was the chief of Bradford for a while, is literally a stone's throw away from the main police station in Bradford," he said.

"So access for the police would have been speedy and quite easy.

"The circumstances in which they arrived, whether they were armed or not, the police officers, as yet we don't know."

Two years ago Pc Ian Broadhurst from West Yorkshire police was shot dead in Leeds.

Former US Marine David Bieber was given a life sentence for the execution-style killling at Newcastle Crown Court in December 2004.

The last female officer killed in the UK was 29-year-old Pc Alison Armitage in March 2001 - she was run over and killed by a car thief in Oldham Lancashire.

-BBC News

This is not far from where I live, in fact, I was a 2 minute walk away from at the time it happened. Sad to see this though, especially 2 young female officers. I know this happens more often in the States, but it very rarely happens here.

 

[Beerdude26]

D:

Next time, arm the officers with this :

Stupid criminals get what they deserve.

 

[SpArKs]

I just herd about it on the radio, so much for a gun amnesty, or what ever you call it. A bus driver in Oxford was held at gun point not long ago, no one was shot tho.

 

[Harryz]

D:

Next time, arm the officers with this :

Stupid criminals get what they deserve.

UK officers are not armed.

I just herd about it on the radio, so much for a gun amnesty, or what ever you call it. A bus driver in Oxford was held at gun point not long ago, no one was shot tho.

Bus Driver?

"Give me all your 20p's or I'll shoot"

 

[Ennui]

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

 

[SpArKs]

Bus Driver?

"Give me all your 20p's or I'll shoot"

Something like that, that's crack heads for you.

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

Some are, mainly in London and at airports, because of terror threats. And if there used(un-holstered not fired), a radio signal is sent to the HQ, setting off sirens for back up, and then it disables the coffee machine.

 

[Beerdude26]

UK officers aren't armed?

Exactly. At least give them a less-than-lethal weapon? Some officers here in Belgium that have to keep the order in the subway stations aren't armed as well, and they've been assaulted and shot at by muggers who were armed. One of them even almost got killed. It's simply not logical.

 

[Unfocused]

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

Actually either I heard something like that or something about them not drawing their guns unless it's very neccessary (for example they couldn't threaten to shoot when a suspect was running away). I don't think it's wise actually. How can you force someone to surrender when he has a gun and you don't?

 

[Ren.182]

Man, this sucks

Nah, our police aren't armed usually. Only if they know whoever they're after has a gun, or if they're patrolling an airport for example.
To be honest, i reckon this keeps gun crime down a bit, if the cops don't have guns, then the criminals may think they wont need one to fight back... maybe. I dunno, i aint a criminal

 

[Beerdude26]

Man, this sucks

Nah, our police aren't armed usually. Only if they know whoever they're after has a gun, or if they're patrolling an airport for example.
To be honest, i reckon this keeps gun crime down a bit, if the cops don't have guns, then the criminals may think they wont need one to fight back... maybe. I dunno, i aint a criminal

I don't think that criminals will threaten people to stay down on the ground with popsicles and expect it to work :|

 

[ríomhaire]

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

UK and Ireland are the only 2 countries in the world with an unarmed police force and damn proud of it!

 

[Dekstar]

Surrounding roads have been closed and the area has been "locked down" said one eye witness.

I wouldn't trust the word of a 1-eyed witness.

 

[JNightshade]

well, look at the number of gun-related murders in the UK compared to the US. Hell, look at the number in almost any developed country compared to the US. Over here, we have more murders per major city than many countries have total.

 

[ríomhaire]

Yeah. That's why it's such a big deal that the cop was killed. It almost never happens.

 

[-Psy-]

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

Well, hardly anything goes on here tbh. So it would seem pointless to have officers armed especially when there isn't a firearms training.

Imagine this, your walking down the street, and a robber runs past you. A officer pulls out his gun, aims for him, but misses. He hits you instead.

Does he

a) Attend you with your injuries
or
b) Carry on chasing the criminal

So basically, a gun can cause more problems then the criminal has himself.

 

[Ren.182]

I don't think that criminals will threaten people to stay down on the ground with popsicles and expect it to work :|

I would... as long as i got my lollypop

We really don't have that many gun crimes in this country, just the odd farmer shooting at some chavs and the random post office hold ups with guns that are never fired.

 

[Ikerous]

Why would you hold up a post office...?

 

[Ren.182]

Post Offices have money... At least ours do.

 

[Ikerous]

Post Offices have money... At least ours do.

Any business has money
He just made it seem more common and I couldn't see why a Post Office would be special

 

[Ren.182]

Heh, sorry. Anyway, our post offices have quite a bit of money. Elderly people get their pensions from there, people can have bank accounts in the post office. Not sure how much our post offices actually hold though.

 

[Harryz]

UK officers aren't armed?

Jesus.

We do have an armed-response unit. Well, theres the whole argument that if officers carry guns, criminals will start to carry guns.

Couldn't find facts and figures for the number of police officer deaths/injuries in the US, but heres one for the UK:

Why would you hold up a post office...?

Post Offices are the honey pot - filled with cash.

 

[ailevation]

Why would you hold up a post office...?

DUH! To find your mail.

Gosh...

 

[OvA]

Why anyone would choose to be a cop, especially an unarmed one, is beyond me.

 

[lister]

just bin on the news, the robbers held up a funding company, for Asians, i think it may have been for the Pakisat Earthquake fund, if that's the case there would have been alot of money involved. I read in the paper the other day that Asian's raised over £70000 in a month, so since its Friday they would have been ready to take all that money they have saved up into the bank, so the robbers stuck. I do think that there should be more officers on the streets of Bradford. I live in BFD & i rarely see any police. yeh u can say that this rarely happens, but to have a positive police force protoiling the streets just makes you that bit more conforting. Also the 2 police officers that attended the crime were apparently probation officers, they were merely official police officers. the W Yorkshire police say they were wearing their body armour. I hardly think so, if that was the case how did she die from a single shot in the chest area. I hope the W Yorkshire Police force learns a lesson from toinights tragic events.

 

[short recoil]

the W Yorkshire police say they were wearing their body armour. I hardly think so, if that was the case how did she die from a single shot in the chest area..

I believe the current duty police bullet proof jackets are IIa bullet and stab proof jackets, mabye they had III i dunno but i'm certain they would be wearing a jacket as every officer on duty is meant to.
Basically its quite easy to die from a chest shot, even if the bullet dosn't penetrate the jacket, the impact can cause severe trauma at close range, internal bleeding and factured ribs entering lungs etc etc.

There are revolvers that criminals are likely to carry that can penetrate our forces armour at close range, a .357 magnum or .44 special/magnum are such calibres which would do so, really IIa is graded at 9mm medium range, IIIa can handle 9mm at close range.

 

[bliink]

the W Yorkshire police say they were wearing their body armour. I hardly think so, if that was the case how did she die from a single shot in the chest area.

Body armour isn't bullet "proof". You can wear level III kevlar and still have a 9mm penetrate (if you aren't wearing it right, or if it folds up/creases, for example). Its more accurately called bullet "resistant".

EDIT: and as said above, I believe uk police wear what are commonly known as "stab vests"

 

[Harryz]

I do think that there should be more officers on the streets of Bradford.

I see policemen/women patrolling the streets of Bradford a lot more recently since the riots. Its very comforting to see and its gives the community a sense of safety. And the Pakistan Earthquake appeal being robbed? Really? Shit, must have missed that - sad to see.

Also, for those people who think UK police officers should carry guns:

"Since 1900 more than 160 officers have died while on duty."

From BBC.co.uk.

 

[lister]

I see policemen/women patrolling the streets of Bradford a lot more recently since the riots. Its very comforting to see and its gives the community a sense of safety. And the Pakistan Earthquake appeal being robbed? Really? Shit, must have missed that - sad to see.

Also, for those people who think UK police officers should carry guns:

"Since 1900 more than 160 officers have died while on duty."

From BBC.co.uk.

Where are you living? i barely see 1 police car a week & i never see a police officer on the street.

 

[Harryz]

Where are you living? i barely see 1 police car a week & i never see a police officer on the street.

Barkerend Road - its like a warzone everyday (that explains the patrolling and police cars). How about you?

 

[Ren.182]

Where are you living? i barely see 1 police car a week & i never see a police officer on the street.

I live near Dudley... I see a police officer everyday pretty much. Usually see them in the most unexpected of places, which is good, least they're not patrolling a main road where little crime will happen.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Well, hardly anything goes on here tbh. So it would seem pointless to have officers armed especially when there isn't a firearms training.

Imagine this, your walking down the street, and a robber runs past you. A officer pulls out his gun, aims for him, but misses. He hits you instead.

Does he

a) Attend you with your injuries
or
b) Carry on chasing the criminal

So basically, a gun can cause more problems then the criminal has himself.

The officer would never fire in those circumstances at least here.

Well I mean, they could, but it's against all training, rules, and so on. He'd probably end up fired if not prosecuted.

 

[Beerdude26]

Body armour isn't bullet "proof". You can wear level III kevlar and still have a 9mm penetrate (if you aren't wearing it right, or if it folds up/creases, for example). Its more accurately called bullet "resistant".

Biosteel ftw \0/

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-01/nbi-nau011102.php

 

[Ikerous]

Biosteel ftw \0/

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-01/nbi-nau011102.php

Produce large quantities of BioSteel through our proprietary transgenic goat technology

 

[ríomhaire]

Why anyone would choose to be a cop, especially an unarmed one, is beyond me.

Over here they are paid quite well. Plus it doesn't require much skill. As long as you don't mind a boring job.

Edit: GOAT-SEPIDERS FTW!