Guernsey Police say officer's death a 'dark day' for policing

PC Andrew Harper died at about 11.30pm yesterday [Thursday] while attending a reported burglary.

The UK force said the 10 men arrested on suspicion of murder were aged between 13 and 30 and remain in custody at various police stations in the force area.

Guernsey’s deputy chief officer, Nigel Taylor, said: ‘The thoughts and prayers of myself and everyone from Bailiwick Law Enforcement are with the friends, family and colleagues of PC Andrew Harper.

'It is devastating news and a dark day for the policing family. We send our most sincere condolences.’

The incident occurred at the crossroads of Ufton Lane and Lambdens Hill near the village of Sulhamstead. PC Harper was in the Roads Policing Proactive Unit based at Abingdon Police Station.

Police are still establishing the circumstances in which he was killed and officers remain at the scene, which is cordoned off while evidence is gathered, officers have laid flowers inside this area.

This afternoon [Friday], forensic investigators gathered items that lay on the road and took photographs – two white tents have been erected. A witness said police were also searching the inside of a grey BMW that was at the scene.

Andy Fiddler of the Thames Valley Police Federation said the death of PC Harper was totally devastating: 'All our thoughts – and the thoughts of the entire police family across the UK – are with the family, friends and close colleagues of PC Andrew Harper.'

PC Harper is the first officer to be killed on duty since March 2017 when unarmed PC Keith Palmer was stabbed during the Westminster Bridge terror attack.

However other officers have recently been badly injured. A police constable was run over by a suspected car thief in Birmingham last week and a Metropolitan police constable Stuart Outten received head and hand injuries after challenging a motor offences suspect.

Click here to read the reactions of the Conservative and Labour leaders to this incident.