Croydon police officer shot dead at his station named as Matt Ratana, 29-year veteran of the force
A police sergeant, who was nearing retirement, was shot dead in the custody suite of a south London police station, after an earlier stop and search failed to find the gunman’s concealed firearm.
Matt Ratana, 54, a New Zealand-born officer, who joined the Met in 1991, was shot in the chest at close range by a handcuffed suspect who had been arrested for possession of ammunition and cannabis resin by a police officer around half an hour earlier.
The 23-year-old suspect, who is from the Norbury area and had previously been investigated for extremist links, seriously injured himself with a shot to the neck. Last night he remained in a critical condition in hospital.
Mr Ratana, a father of one, who was head coach at East Grinstead Rugby Club, was rushed to hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) were at the scene last night as investigators worked to establish how a suspect in custody had managed to conceal and then use a firearm.
The incident began at around 1.40am in central Croydon when a police officer, who was on patrol with another officer, stopped a man who was acting suspiciously. A stop and search took place and the officers found two rounds of ammunition and some cannabis resin.
After calling for support, three more officers arrived at the scene and the suspect was arrested.
Much of the investigation is expected to centre on how the arresting officers failed to locate the weapon when he was initially searched.
Ken Marsh of the Metropolitan Police Federation questioned whether officers had sufficient powers under stop and search laws to do the job properly.
He said: “The law under stop and search gives you the power to pat someone down. It doesn’t give you a chance to do an intimate search. You can only do that in a custody suite.”
The Telegraph understands that the suspect was known to the authorities, having previously been referred to a de-radicalisation programme. Following further investigation it was deemed he did not pose a terror threat.
Once arrested the suspect was taken by van to the Croydon custody suite in nearby Windmill Road, where he was about to be searched with a metal detector.
The suspect was handcuffed behind his back at the time but as he was approached by the custody sergeant, he suddenly withdrew the firearm, which had been concealed about his person and opened fire at close range.
It is understood he fired at the officer from between his legs with his hands still cuffed behind his back.
The custody sergeant is the tenth police officer to have been killed in the line of duty in the past decade, with the last being Andrew Harper in Berkshire in August 2019.
Pc Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, said on Facebook that it was “utterly devastating” adding: ‘What is happening to our world?’
Dame Cressida Dick, theMet Commissioner, commented: “It’s very, very rare [a police officer being murdered] and it’s an awful, awful thing but I do believe that we have good training, very professional people, good equipment and good leadership.
“Of course, if there’s anything we should change, we will.”
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: “I am devastated by the news a Metropolitan Police officer has lost his life.
“Tragic incidents like this are terrible reminders of the dangers our police officers face every single day they go into work to keep Londoners safe. They are the very best of us, and I remain in close contact with the Commissioner to offer her and the Met my ongoing support.”
