One-eyed suspect - Unarmed policemen. Always a great idea, eh wot?

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Tears of the police girls: Colleagues pay tribute as the nation unites in grief

• Queen expresses condolences to families of policewomen shot on Tuesday
• Nicola Hughes, 23, and Fiona Bone, 32, attacked with gun and grenade
• They were attending report of robbery in Hattersley, Greater Manchester
• Dale Cregan, 29, arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after incident
• Greater Manchester Police force held a minute's silence on Wednesday

By Paul Harris

With flowers, prayers and heartfelt messages of thanks, Britain united yesterday to pay tribute to two policewomen gunned down in the line of duty.
In a remarkable outpouring of grief and sympathy, thousands of ordinary well wishers underlined the dangers officers face daily by applauding the actions of two young officers who, as one put it, ‘paid the ultimate price for us all’.
Tributes were led by the Queen with a message of condolence over what she called ‘the tragic loss of their lives’.
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Shock: A policewoman arrives to lay flowers near the scene where Pc Nicola Hughes, 23, and Pc Fiona Bone, 32, were killed in a gun and grenade attack in Greater Manchester on Tuesday

Grief: Police constables pay their respects and place floral tributes in memory of Pc Hughes and Pc Bone

Remembered: Policewomen lay flowers near the scene as the city's force comes to term with its loss

Then - all through the day and long into the evening - weeping colleagues, local residents and total strangers came to lay flowers at the spot closest to where Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone fell.
The sentiments were echoed from across the world, on internet sites and in TV broadcasts, in church congregations around Greater Manchester, and in police stations where a minute’s silence brought everything to a standstill precisely 24 hours after the women were killed in a hail of bullets and grenade attack.
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Somewhere nearby, two families that once beamed with such pride were now mourning the loss of two police officers who died ‘doing the job they loved’.
Elsewhere, someone must have been struggling to find words to explain to a five-year-old girl, the daughter of the woman who was about to become Fiona’s civil partner in marriage, why she would never see Fiona again.

Written tributes: Thousands of messages have poured in for the killed officers, as well as notes left on flowers

Team tribute: The Manchester United football squad wear black armbands for their Champions League match against Galatasaray at Old Trafford in remembrance of the two dead policewomen

The gradual emergence of personal detail about the two PCs made their loss even more tragic, portraying them not just as dedicated police officers but as bubbly, ordinary individuals.

'Decent people are outraged at what happened here. Two policewomen were just going out to do an honest day’s work and they never returned. It shouldn’t be like that'

Samantha Clinton

Much of that detail came yesterday in messages attached to floral tributes left at the police cordon which sectioned off streets on the Hattersley estate, at the edge of the Peak District between Manchester and Sheffield, now a tightly contained crime scene.
Many were from fellow officers, arriving with solemn faces and often leaving in tears. A bouquet of roses placed by a blonde officer and female colleagues bore a message that read: ‘Yesterday when we all paraded on for duty, we never could have imagined how the day would end.’

Tragic: Pc Fiona Bone (left), 32, and Pc NIcola Hughes (right), 23, who were shot dead on a routine call

From above: An aerial picture of the scene of the shooting of Pc Bone and Pc Hughes in Hattersley

Pictured: Dale Cregan is being questioned in connection with the killings of the police officers

It added: ‘We will never forget the sacrifice you made and will continue to do the job you loved and did so well.’ Another was addressed to ‘Auntie Nic Nic Nee Nor,’ and read: ‘Miss you lots and lots like Jelly Tots. You are now a twinkle twinkle little star in the sky. All my love, Summer’.
In poignant scenes repeated throughout the day, burly male officers in full uniform and kit arrived carrying flowers against their armoured vests, at least one with tears welling in his eyes.
Some of the officers on duty at the cordon had been chosen deliberately because they did not know the women personally.
But study any of their faces during the one-minute silence, and it became clear that it didn’t matter. All of them must have known what Nicola and Fiona faced; all must have realised it could so easily have been them instead.
There were condolences, too, from ordinary, decent people on the 3,000-home estate, many of whom knew the PCs by their first names and paid tribute to the work they did locally.
Mother of two Samantha Clinton, 27, who said she felt ‘compelled’ to come and place flowers, told me: ‘Decent people are outraged at what happened here. Two policewomen were just going out to do an honest day’s work and they never returned. It shouldn’t be like that.’
The scale of public support left Greater Manchester Police ‘overwhelmed’, its Chief Constable said.
The place where the two women fell -  Hattersley, near Mottram - is a half-hour drive from Manchester past row upon row of red-brick terraces and stone churches turned black with decades of grime.

Displays of emotion: Many broke down in tears as they approached the scene to lay floral tributes

Wall of flowers: The city's community and police have joined together to pay tribute to the women

Tears of sadness: Mourners were in shock after the Tuesday deaths which caused sadness around the UK

Showing respect: A boy lays a tribute with a woman carrying a baby as a policewoman looks on

Thoughtful: GMP, and many other police forces around the country, have been left in shock by the deaths

The Queen has expressed her 'sincere condolences' to the families of the fallen officers

Satellite images show it surrounded by fields and flanked by hills and moorland, and on the ground, some of the views over the Peak District are stunning. But 3,000 homes built mostly in 1960s council-house style give it a vastly different feel.
Anti-social behaviour is a constant problem here and many of the people you speak to have been victims of crime or have witnessed it in the streets.
‘Maybe it’s fear,’ one mother told me after placing flowers at the crime scene. ‘If it’s loyalty, then it’s badly misplaced loyalty. But it’s not the estate itself. This isn’t a bad place. I’m 27 and I’ve lived here 27 years, so I know.  
But it’s got a bad reputation now because of the actions of the person involved and whoever else knew about him.’
Nina McCartney, 26, heard the gunshot and explosion. ‘My husband thought someone was having a disagreement and was maybe shooting up the house,’ she said. ‘Next thing I know, there are police everywhere.’
Another resident who has lived on the estate virtually all his life said of the suspect for the murders, Dale Cregan: ‘It’s my guess he was here all the time,’ he said.

Reflecting: Fellow police officers lay flowers at the scene of the deaths, which were described as 'pure evil'

'Heartfelt': This message described the deaths as a 'tragic waste' and said the officers were 'very special'

Rest in peace: This note from 'Helen, Ste and William' said they will 'never, ever forget' Pc Fiona Bone

Thanks: This note from the Cooper family praised all police officers for 'risking their lives to keep us safe'

Community: This note from a resident of the nearby area of Mottram said the two should 'rest in peace'

By yesterday evening the force had received more than 25,000 messages of condolence on its website, 19,000 via Facebook and another 1,000 on Twitter. More than a million people have viewed the force’s Facebook updates.
Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: ‘I would like to thank the public for this tremendous show of support, it means a huge amount to us at this difficult time.
‘Clearly the whole force and indeed the whole police service is devastated by the deaths of these two brave colleagues, but to know at this difficult time that the public support what we do and feel so strongly about the sacrifice of these officers, and are giving such support to their family, is really important to us.’

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ROB PREECE AND MARK DUELL

Greater Manchester Police officers observe a minute's silence near to the scene where Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, where killed in Hattersley, Greater Manchester

Police officers stand by floral tributes to their colleagues Pc Fiona Bone and Pc Nicola Hughes as they observe a minute's silence

The minute's silence was observed by officers standing behind a police cordon, which was put up to protect any evidence at the scene of the killings

Neighbours said Pc Fiona Bone, pictured holding a baby, and her partner were a 'lovely couple'

A Greater Manchester Police officer closes her eyes as she stands at the scene of the tragedy

The officer is allowed through the cordon to leave flowers close to the spot where the two policewomen were killed

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said the force's staff were 'devastated' by the killings

Two policewomen look at the floral tributes left at the scene in memory of their fallen colleagues

Respect: Two police officers lay flowers near the spot where Pc Nicola Hughes and Pc Fiona Bone were attacked

'We just can not believe you are gone': A floral tribute addressed to 'Nicky and Fi' is left at the scene where the two police officers were killed

A policeman looks at the floral tributes left by colleagues of the two killed officers

The policeman lays a tribute of his own as messages of condolence continue to flood in

Greater Manchester Police said it had received thousands of messages of condolences for the two officers

A woman and a young child arrive at the scene to leave flowers for Pc Nicola Hughes and Pc Fiona Bone

The woman and child are among thousands of people who have paid tribute to the two officers

Members of the public bring floral tributes in memory of Pc Nicola Hughes and Pc Fiona Bone to the scene of the shooting in Hattersley, near Manchester

Thousands of messages of support and condolence will be passed on to the officers' families, Greater Manchester Police said

A group of women hugged each other as they looked at the tributes at the scene

The women support each other as they approach the scene where the two police officers were killed

Members of Tameside Council arrive at the scene to lay flowers in memory of the two fallen police officers

Two Tameside councillors shed tears as they lay flowers at the scene in Hattersley, Greater Manchester

A steady stream of people arrived at the scene throughout the day to leave tributes to the officers

Three more police officers arrive with flowers brought in tribute to Pc Bone and Pc Hughes

Tributes have been paid from across the UK to the two policewomen who were killed

The killings have sent shockwaves throughout the police service

An armed police officer reads tributes left to his fallen colleagues (right). One tribute (left) reads: 'Words cannot say how I am feeling at this moment'

A police officer's tribute to Pc Bone and Pc Hughes reads: 'Forever in our hearts and minds'

A police officer carries flowers close to the scene where the two female policewomen officers were killed in Hattersley, near Manchester

The officer pays respect to his killed colleagues as he places his floral tribute alongside others

Flowers from members of Cheshire Police were among the tributes left to Pc Bone and Pc Hughes

Reverend Lesley Harding and Reverend James Halstead conducted a service of remembrance at St Barnabas Church, Hattersley (left), during which candles were lit (right) for the two police officers

Candles lit for Nicola Hughes (left) and Fiona Bone (right) stand side by side in the church during the service of remembrance

'BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS': TRIBUTES TO FIONA BONE AND NICOLA HUGHES

Tributes have been paid to the two ‘brave and courageous’ policewomen.

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy said the force was in mourning and officers were ‘devastated’ by what had happened.

Fiona Bone, 32, pictured above left, who had served with the police for five years, was ‘so happy’ with her partner and had been planning for upcoming her civil partnership.

Sir Peter said: ‘When she first joined the shift she was quite quiet and reserved. However she came out of her shell and had a great sense of humour, always enjoying a good laugh.

‘She was so happy with her partner and they were in the middle of planning their wedding. Indeed her partner only spoke to her this morning about the wedding invites and fellow officers gave her advice about how to make them on the computer.

‘Her fellow officers said that they always loved being partnered off with her as she was always calm, collected and professional, and could defuse situations with her calm, gentle way. She was an excellent bobby, and cared about her job, and the community she served.’

'We would like to say a huge thank you to the public for (a) great show of support. I cannot tell you how much it means to us at this most difficult time'
Sir Peter Fahy, GMP Chief Constable

Nicola Hughes, 23, pictured above right, who had served for three years and lived in the Oldham area with her mother, was described as a ‘bubbly’ woman who ‘loved socialising’ and enjoyed karate.

The chief constable said: ‘She was a chatterbox and was always smiling, even after a night shift when everyone else was a bit grumpy. She was a good listener and could not do enough for people. She was a lovely friend, and a great bobby.’

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said 2,600 messages of condolence had already been left for the officers.

Sir Peter Fahy said that the messages would be passed on to the officers' families, and that the outpouring of support 'would mean a huge amount' to them.

In a video message posted online, he said: 'Since the awful deaths of our two police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, we've received thousands of messages of support and condolence from the public and a huge number of hits on the Facebook site.

'We would like to say a huge thank you to the public for this great show of support. I cannot tell you how much it means to us at this most difficult time.

'We will be drawing together all these messages and passing them to the families of our two sorely missed colleagues.

'I know that this great public support will mean a huge amount to them and will be a great comfort. Thank you.'

Condolences have been left by fellow officers from forces across the UK.

'Our thoughts are with you all in GMP and with the families and friends of Fiona and Nicola. Two bobbies just doing their job have made the ultimate sacrifice, but your police brothers & sisters will never forget you. Rest in peace girls'

DC Jeff Wheble, Thames Valley Police

Mike Downey, from GMP, wrote: 'God bless to brave colleagues. My thoughts are with you and your family. Rest in peace.'

Nick Addis, from West Midlands Police, wrote: 'Absolute tragedy. Thoughts are with the families. RIP both of you. No force boundaries today, one united family'.

Detective Constable Jeff Wheble, from Thames Valley Police, said: 'Our thoughts are with you all in GMP and with the families and friends of Fiona and Nicola.

'Two bobbies just doing their job have made the ultimate sacrifice, but your police brothers & sisters will never forget you. Rest in peace girls. From all of us on the CAIU team at Cowley, TVP.'

Other messages came from people in forces including Lancashire, Metropolitan, Fife, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Northumbria, Merseyside, and Dyfed-Powys.

Tom McGhie, former chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, wrote: 'My experiences when I was the chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation at the time that Ian Broadhurst and Sharon Beshenivksy were murdered will live with me for ever.

'Their sacrifice and those of your colleagues murdered today will never be forgotten. My thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy.'

Tributes were also left by people in Manchester. Peter Read wrote: 'So shocked that this has happened in our city. Sincere condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of these two dedicated protectors of the public. RIP.'

Kate Leech wrote: 'RIP girls thank you for protecting Manchester.'

Grief: Officers bow their heads as the body of a female police officer leaves the scene in Hattersley, Tameside

Sorrow: Police line up and show their respect for their fallen colleague

The investigation is focused on Abbey Gardens, Hattersley, where the two Greater Manchester Police officers came under attack on Tuesday

Forensic officers remained at the scene on Wednesday as the police investigation into the killings continued

Forensic officers search the scene for clues as part of the investigation into the killings

A police cordon remains in place around the site where the two police officers came under attack

An officer stands guard at the police cordon as the investigation in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, continues

Investigation: Police remove a large blue bag of evidence from the scene in Hattersley

Probe: Forensic officers in white overalls make their way towards the scene where the officers were shot

Aftermath: A bomb squad officer patrols the area (left) and flowers are left at the crime scene (right)

Tears: Poilce officers gather at the scene where the two policewomen were killed in Hattersley

Tribute: Flowers were brought by the public to the scene of the shooting in Hattersley, Greater Manchester

Aftermath: A bomb disposal team prepares to carry out a controlled explosion with a remote-controlled robot

Respectful: Flags are lowered at the Greater Manchester Police headquarters following the killings

Sad day: Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy takes questions at a press conference

Meticulous: Police carry out a fingertip search at the cordon near where the two female officers were shot dead

Joining forces: Police liaise with a member of a bomb squad at the scene. It is understood that a grenade may have been used during the incident in which the two officers were killed

Devastating: An emergency services worker bows his head (left) as he arrives on the estate with colleagues

Shut off: An armoured vehicle blocks the road as the investigation into the shootings gets under way

'IT BROUGHT IT ALL BACK IN A SECOND': WIDOWER WHO LOST HIS OFFICER WIFE IN 2005 BRADFORD SHOOTING CALLS FOR POLICE TO BE ARMED

The husband of the most recent policewoman to die on duty in Britain said last night that the latest tragedy ‘sent a horrible shiver down my back’.
Paul Beshenivsky lost his 38-year-old wife Sharon when she was shot by robbers outside a Bradford travel agent in 2005. He said Tuesday’s news from Greater Manchester ‘brought it all back in one split second’.

Famous case: The shootings have similarities with the killing of West Yorkshire Pc Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot dead on duty in November 2005

He added: ‘I know what the poor families of those two officers are going through tonight and it is sheer hell. Everything will be going on around them and they simply won’t feel like it’s real. I feel so utterly sad for them, it is just horrific.
‘I’m hoping that they get all the help I got, from the police and their extended families, because it is such a terrible, grim time.
'I think policing, as regarding going to scenes of crimes, should be monitored better, and I think police, in honesty, should be armed, walking into situations that they’re not totally aware of. You can’t have armed response at every situation, but I think, as an officer being armed, walk into a situation, feeling more comfortable, walking into that situation, thinking, "I could respond to that situation".'
The National Police Memorial Roll of Honour includes more than 1,600 officers killed by criminal acts since 1680. They include at least ten women. But until yesterday, two had never died at once.
The tragedy came with police already preparing to remember lost colleagues at the National Police Memorial Service at York Minster in two weeks.
Organisers said the service, due to be attended by more than 2,000 people, will be tailored to mark yesterday’s events.
There are 36,617 policewomen in England and Wales, according to the latest Home Office figures.
These make up just over a quarter of the total of 134,101 officers. The proportion of women officers has steadily increased from 15 per cent in 1997.
Those killed in the line of duty include PC Yvonne Fletcher, whose killer may yet be brought to justice after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi. She was shot outside the Libyan embassy in London in April 1984.
Others include Nina Mackay, 25, who was stabbed to death in 1997 as she arrested a schizophrenic in Stratford, East London.
PC Jane Arbuthnot, 22, was killed in the Harrods terrorist attack in 1983 when an IRA car bomb exploded outside the London store. Two other officers also died.
Nick Clegg said arming the police would be a serious change with considerable risks to the tradition of British policing by consent.
'I don’t think this is the time to rush to instant judgements. This really is a time for mourning, support of course for the family and friends of the two women who’ve been killed. We have a long tradition in this country, which is a great tradition, of policing in the community, of the police being part of the public, and the public supporting and giving their consent to the police.
'And I think if we were in an instant to, in a sense, arm our police to the teeth so they become separate from the public, that would be quite a big change that would have considerable risks attached to it, so I think it’s the kind of thing that you need to look at very carefully, and certainly not – even though I know emotions are running very high – in an instant way after this terrible, terrible tragedy.
'Of course there are going to be lots of questions about the nature of armed violence and gang violence in Manchester and elsewhere, about whether this individual had crossed the police’s radar screens or not, and that is something that can obviously be looked at in the weeks and months ahead, but I really just think right now everybody is reeling with the shock that these two brave women have been gunned down in this extraordinary cruel way.'

CHRIS GREENWOOD

Investigation: Police at the scene in Clayton, Manchester, where David Short was killed in August - three months after the death of his son

HARRY ROBERTS, 1960s POLICE KILLER WHO SHOT DEAD THREE OFFICERS, AND THE BRAVE VICTIMS WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY

Hundreds of police officers have died in the line of duty but yesterday is believed to be the first time that two policewomen have been killed by a criminal.
A National Police Memorial Roll of Honour lists all the officers who have been killed by criminal acts in the line of duty since 1680, showing multiple deaths of police officers in the line of duty are rare.
Other high-profile multiple killings include the murders of three unarmed Metropolitan Police officers in Shepherd's Bush by Harry Roberts, pictured right, who was jailed for 30 years in the 1960s.

Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Pc Geoffrey Fox, 41, were shot dead while questioning three suspects in a van on August 12, 1966.

The memorial roll records more than 1,600 officers who have lost their lives while performing vital tasks such as foiling terrorists, quelling rioters and marshaling protests.

In recent years these have included Pc Gary Toms, 37, who was critically injured confronting suspects in a dead end road in Leyton, east London, on April 11, 2009.

He died six days later when his life support machine was switched off - 25 years to the day Pc Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libyan Embassy in London while controlling demonstrators.
Among the other officers on the list is Pc Ricky Grey, who was shot in the head by a gunman who then turned the weapon on himself in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Pc Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot dead when she and a colleague tried to stop armed robbers in Bradford in November 2005.

Another name on the roll is that of Pc Keith Blakelock, a 40-year-old father of three, who was set upon by a mob and hacked to death with a machete during the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985.

Pc Ian Broadhurst, 34, of West Yorkshire Police, was murdered by David Bieber, 38, on Boxing Day 2003. Bieber also shot two colleagues, after he was pulled over in Leeds. He was jailed for life.
Det Con Michael Swindells, 44, died after he was knifed in the stomach as he and colleagues conducted a search in Birmingham in May 2004.

Operation: A police officer seals off the scene in Greater Manchester, where the shootings happened

Det Con Stephen Oake died during a police raid on a flat in Crumpsall, Manchester, in January 2003, after Kamel Bourgass launched a frenzied knife attack on the officer as he tried to escape.
DC Oake's bravery not only saved the lives of several of his colleagues but potentially hundreds of people, who Bourgass was plotting to kill with the deadly poison ricin.

Det Con Stephen Oake died during a police raid on a flat in January 2003, after Kamel Bourgass launched a frenzied knife attack. DC Oake's bravery not only saved the lives of several of his colleagues but potentially hundreds of people, who Bourgass was plotting to kill with the deadly poison ricin

Pc Alison Armitage, 29, was run down by a stolen car in March 2001. She died in an undercover operation in Hollinwood, Greater Manchester. She was run over twice by a driver in a stolen vehicle.

In October 1997 Pc Nina Mackay was stabbed to death in a in Stratford, east London, by paranoid schizophrenic Magdi Elgizouli, 32. She used a hydraulic ram to batter down the door of his flat.

Pc Mackay had removed her body armour because it was difficult to use the ram while wearing the protective equipment. Elgizouli was detained indefinitely after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Police officers also find themselves in danger when they are off duty. Father Pc Ian Dibell, 41, was off work with a hand injury when he was killed near his home in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in July.

He had gone to help a member of the public who had been injured in a gun attack, and was shot.

Another officer who died this year was Pc David Rathband, who was shot and blinded by gunman Raoul Moat as he sat in his patrol car in July 2010. He was found dead at his home earlier this year.

• You can leave a message of condolence to Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes by going to a specially-created section of the Greater Manchester Police website. Click here.
• The force has requested that flowers are sent to the Tameside Divisional Headquarters at Ashton police station, Manchester Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 OBQ

VIDEO: 'Dear Auntie. We miss you' Tributes left for two murdered policewomen 

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VIDEO: Witness describes Manchester attack that killed two PCs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204991/Dale-Cregan-arrest-Witness-saw-gunman-kill-PCs-Fiona-Bone-32-Nicola-Hughes-23.html