Police Homicides since 1900

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Police Homicides Great Britain since 1900 Police Officers of England, Scotland and Wales reported killed in the line of duty by criminal acts showing method of killing, incident type and court result or other outcome.
Year	Rank	Name	Force	Method	Incident	Charge or Inquest Verdict	Court result / outcome
1900	PC	Alfred Kerns	Cheshire	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1900	PC	John Kew	West Riding	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1900	PC	Ernest Thompson	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1901	DC	Thomas Hibbs	L.N.W. Railway	Beaten & Drowned	attempting arrest	Murder	unsolved - suspects acquitted
1901	PC	Charles Gunter	Birmingham	Bludgeoned / Stoned	street disturbance	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1903	PC	William Price	Staffordshire	Bludgeoned	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1903	PC	William Wilkinson	Leicestershire	Shot	revenge attack / ambush	Murder	conviction of murder
1903	PC	Edwin Wilce	Plymouth	Beaten	domestic disturbance	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1903	PC	William Davies	Montgomeryshire	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Murder / Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1905	PC	William Woolley	Lincolnshire	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1906	PC	William McKelvie	Hawick	Beaten / Kicked	disorderly / drunk person	Murder	conviction of culpable homicide
1907	PC	George Leefe	North Eastern Rly	Stabbed / Cut	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1907	PC	Walter Ford	Norfolk	Stabbed / Cut	deranged suspect	Murder	suspect found insane
1909	PC	William Tyler	Metropolitan	Shot	chasing suspects	Murder	suicide of suspects
1909	PC	Charles Alger	Great Yarmouth	Shot	domestic disturbance	Murder	conviction of murder
1910	Sgt	Robert Bentley KPM	City of London	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	suspects killed or acquitted
	PC	Walter Choat KPM
	Sgt	Charles Tucker KPM
1911	PC	Hosea Pope	Monmouthshire	Bludgeoned / Stoned	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1912	Insp	Arthur Walls	Eastbourne	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1913	Sgt	William Crouch	Wiltshire	Shot	revenge attack / ambush	Murder	suicide of suspect
1913	PC	Andrew Barton KPM	Northumberland	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1913	DC	George Mussell KPM	Northumberland	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1915	DC	Alfred Young KPM	Metropolitan	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1919	PC	James Campbell	Glasgow	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
1919	St/Sgt	Thomas Green	Metropolitan	Bludgeoned / Stoned	mob violence / rioting	Manslaughter	unsolved - suspects acquitted
1919	PC	Thomas Rowland	Metropolitan	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1920	PC	James Kelly	Metropolitan	Shot	chasing suspects	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
1920	Insp	John Burney	Middlesbrough	Beaten / Kicked	street disturbance	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1921	Sgt	Ernest Crowston	Nottingham	Struck by vehicle	stopping vehicle	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1921	Insp	Robert Johnston	Glasgow	Shot	prisoner escort / escape (IRA)	Murder	unsolved - suspects acquitted (Sinn Fein)
1921	PC	Peter Munro	Lanarkshire	Beaten / Kicked	mob violence / rioting	Murder	conviction of culpable homicide
1924	PC	Robert Pritchard	Anglesey	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1925	PC	Albert Willits	Wolverhampton	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1927	PC	Mathew Straughan	Durham	Shot	deranged suspect	Murder	suspect found insane (on appeal)
1927	PC	George Gutteridge	Essex	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder
1928	PC	Henry Leggett	Newcastle-on-Tyne	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person (off duty)	Murder / Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1929	PC	John Self	Metropolitan	Beaten	checking suspect	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1930	D/Sgt	Francis Willis	Cambridge	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	suicide of suspect
1930	PC	Arthur Lawes	Metropolitan	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Manslaughter	unsolved - no suspects charged
1933	PC	Frederick Percy	Metropolitan	Struck by Vehicle	directing traffic	Manslaughter	acquittal - conviction of dangerous driving
1934	PC	James Wright	Manchester	Struck by Vehicle	directing traffic	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1935	PC	Harry Forrest	Lancashire	Struck by Vehicle	crowd control	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1935	PC	James Thomson KPM	Metropolitan	Struck by Vehicle	crowd control	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1938	PC	John Potter	Devon	Bludgeoned	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1938	PC	George Shepherd	Metropolitan	Dragged by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1940	PC	William Shiell	Durham	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1940	PWR	Jack Avery	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	checking suspect	Murder	conviction, on appeal of manslaughter
1940	ACC	Robert Thomson	Edinburgh	Shot	disorderly / drunk person	Murder	conviction of culpable homicde
1940	SC	William Mellen	Herefordshire	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1941	D/Sgt	Thomas Dale	Rochdale	Bomb Explosion	checking premises	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1941	D/I	Harry Stables	Rochdale	Bomb Explosion	checking premises	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1941	PC	Evan Davies	Cardiff	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
1942	PWR	Joseph Pickering	Liverpool	Beaten	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1942	Sgt	William Avis DCM	West Sussex	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	suspect found insane
1943	PWR	Stephen Cox	Birmingham	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Manslaughter	result unknown
1943	PWR	John Towers	Blackburn	Beaten / Kicked	disorderly / drunk person	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1944	Insp	Francis East	Berkshire	Dragged by Vehicle	attempting arrest	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1946	PC	Brinley Booth	Staffordshire	Bludgeoned	attempting arrest	Murder	unsolved - suspect acquitted (in 1956)
1948	PC	Nathanael Edgar	Metropolitan	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1951	Sgt	William Gibson KC	Dumfries/Galloway	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1951	PC	Alan Baxter	Kent	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	suspect shot and killed by police
1951	DI	Duncan Fraser	West Riding	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1951	PC	Arthur Jagger	West Riding	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1952	DC	John Macleod QC	Glasgow	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	suicide of suspect
1952	PC	Sidney Miles KPM	Metropolitan	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1956	T/Sgt	Gerald Rooney	Kent	Shot	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1956	T/Sgt	Reginald Tipple	Metropolitan	Shot	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1956	T/Sgt	Leonard Demmon QPM	Metropolitan	Shot	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1956	T/Sgt	Hugh Carter	Herefordshire	Shot	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1956	T/Sgt	Cyril Thoroughgood	Leicestershire	Shot	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1958	T/Sgt	Stanley Woodward	Durham	Bomb Explosion	terrorist attack / ambush (EOKA)	Murder	serving with UK Police Unit in Cyprus
1958	PC	Frank Hulme	Hertfordshire	Beaten / Kicked	street disturbance	Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1958	DI	James O'Donnell QPM	Blackburn	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1958	PC	Raymond Summers	Metropolitan	Stabbed	street disturbance	Murder	conviction of murder
1959	D/Sgt	Raymond Purdy	Metropolitan	Shot	prisoner escort / escape	Murder	conviction of murder
1960	PC	Leslie Meehan	Metropolitan	Dragged by Vehicle	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1961	Sgt	Frederick Hutchins QPM	Metropolitan	Shot	chasing suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1961	Insp	Philip Pawsey QPM	Metropolitan	Shot	chasing suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1965	PC	George Russell QPM	Cumberland, West- morland & Carlisle	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	suspect found insane
1965	D/Sgt	James Stanford QPM	Wolverhampton	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1966	PC	Geoffrey Fox	Metropolitan	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder
	D/Sgt	Christopher Head
	DC	David Wombwell
1966	PC	Brian Armstrong	Gateshead	Stabbed	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder
1967	Insp	James Bradley	Oxfordshire	Struck by Vehicle	vehicle pursuit	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1967	PC	Joseph Drake	Stirling	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviciton of culpable homicide
1969	PC	Michael Davies	Metropolitan	Stabbed	deranged suspect (off duty)	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1969	SC	George Gates	Glasgow	Bludgeoned	checking suspects (off duty)	Murder	conviction of murder
1969	ADC	Angus MacKenzie QPM	Glasgow	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1970	PC	Edward Barnett QPM	Glasgow	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1970	Insp	Barry Taylor QC	West Yorkshire	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1971	DC	Ian Coward QPM	Thames Valley	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder
1971	Supt	Gerald Richardson GC	Lancashire	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1972	PC	Peter Guthrie QPM	Warwickshire	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1973	PC	Michael Whiting QPM	Metropolitan	Dragged by Vehicle	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1973	PC	Dennis Smith QPM	Devon & Cornwall	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1974	PC	John Schofield	Surrey	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1975	PC	Stephen Tibble QPM	Metropolitan	Shot	chasing suspect (off duty)	Murder	conviction of murder (IRA terrorist)
1975	PC	David Green	West Midlands	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1975	ExpO	Roger Goad GC BEM	Metropolitan	Bomb Explosion	terrorist attack (IRA)	Murder	conviction of murder
1975	Sgt	Brian Dawson	Leicestershire	Shot	domestic disturbance	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1976	PC	George Taylor	Strathclyde	Struck with Axe	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder
1977	DC	Norman Garnham	North Yorkshire	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1977	Sgt	Alan Gordon	Grampian	Dragged by Vehicle	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of culpable homicide
1978	PC	Christopher MacDonald	Nottinghamshire	Bludgeoned & Drowned	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1979	PC	Desmond Kellam	Wiltshire	Struck with Billhook	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1980	PC	Francis O'Neill QGM	Metropolitan	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1981	Sgt	Michael Hawcroft QC	West Yorkshire	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1981	PC	Raymond Davenport QC	Merseyside	Dragged by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1981	ExpO	Kenneth Howorth GM	Metropolitan	Bomb Explosion	terrorist attack (IRA)	Murder	conviction of murder
1982	DC	James Porter QC	Durham	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1982	PC	John Egerton QC	Greater Manchester	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1982	DC	John Sandford	Greater Manchester	Bludgeoned	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1982	PC	David Haigh	North Yorkshire	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1982	Sgt	David Winter	North Yorkshire	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1982	WPC	Mandy Rayner	Hertfordshire	Struck by Vehicle	vehicle pursuit	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
1983	D/Sgt	Ross Hunt	Strathclyde	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1983	WPC	Jane Arbuthnot	Metropolitan	Bomb Explosion	terrorist attack (IRA)	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
	Sgt	Noel Lane
	Insp	Stephen Dodd
1984	PC	Stephen Jones	Metropolitan	Struck by Vehicle	stopping vehicle	Death by D/Ddriving	conviction of death by reckless driving
1984	WPC	Yvonne Fletcher	Metropolitan	Shot	terrorist attack (Libyan)	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
1984	A/Sgt	Brian Bishop	Essex	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1984	Sgt	John Speed QC	West Yorkshire	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	suspect shot and killed himself
1985	DC	John Fordham	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	surveillance duty	Murder	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1985	PC	Keith Blakelock QGM	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	mob violence / rioting	Murder	unsolved - suspects acquitted (on appeal)
1986	PC	Martin Bell	Metropolitan	Struck by Vehicle	vehicle pursuit	Death by D/Ddriving	conviction of death by dangerous driving
1986	PC	John Taylor	Staffordshire	Beaten / Fall	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1987	PC	Ian Woodward	Lancashire	Shot	checking suspect (off duty)	Murder	conviction of murder
1987	PC	Ronan McCloskey	Metropolitan	Dragged by Vehicle	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1987	PC	Roger Brereton QC	Thames Valley	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1988	PC	Frank Mason QGM	Hertfordshire	Shot	attempting arrest (off duty)	Murder	conviction of murder
1988	PC	Gavin Carlton QC	West Midlands	Shot	chasing suspects	Murder	suicide of suspect
1989	PC	Anthony Salt	West Midlands	Beaten / Kicked	surveillance duty	Murder / Manslaughter	acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide
1989	Insp	Raymond Codling	Greater Manchester	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	suicide of suspect
1990	PC	Laurence Brown	Metropolitan	Shot	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1991	PC	Robert Gladwell	Metropolitan	Beaten	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1991	PC	Duncan Clift	Kent	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	unsolved - suspect acquitted
1991	A/Sgt	Simon Lilley	Northamptonshire	Struck by Vehicle	stopping vehicle	Manslaughter	conviction of death by dangerous driving
1991	Sgt	Alan King QC	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	checking suspect	Murder	conviction of murder
1991	DC	James Morrison QGM	Metropolitan	Stabbed	attempting arrest (off duty)	Murder	unsolved - no suspects charged
1992	SC	Glen Goodman QC	North Yorkshire	Shot	checking suspects	Murder	conviction of murder (IRA terrorist)
1993	Sgt	William Forth QC	Northumbria	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1993	PC	Patrick Dunne	Metropolitan	Shot	suspicious incident	Murder	conviction of murder (in 2006)
1994	Sgt	Derek Robertson QGM	Metropolitan	Stabbed / Cut	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
1994	PC	Lewis Fulton QC	Strathclyde	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	suspect found insane
1995	PC	Phillip Walters	Metropolitan	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1997	WPC	Nina MacKay	Metropolitan	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
1999	PC	Jeffrey Tooley	Sussex	Struck by Vehicle	stopping vehicle	Death by D/Driving	conviction of death by dangerous driving
1999	PC	Stephen Jones	Avon & Somerset	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Manslaughter	conviction of death by dangerous driving
1999	PC	Raja Ahmed	Greater Manchester	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviction of murder
2000	PC	Jonathan Odell	Kent	Struck by Vehicle	stopping vehicle	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
2001	PC	Alison Armitage	Greater Manchester	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
2001	PC	Malcolm Walker	West Midlands	Struck by Vehicle	stolen vehicle	Murder	conviction of murder
2002	PC	Bryan Moore	Leicestershire	Struck by Vehicle	vehicle pursuit	Murder	conviction of manslaughter (Moore - on appeal)
2002	PC	Andrew Munn	Leicestershire	Struck by Vehicle	vehicle pursuit	Murder	conviction of manslaughter (Moore - on appeal)
2003	PC	Gerald Walker	Nottinghamshire	Dragged by Vehicle	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
2003	DC	Stephen Oake QGM	Greater Manchester	Stabbed / Cut	prisoner escort / escape	Murder	conviction of murder (suspected terrorist)
2003	PC	Ian Broadhurst	West Yorkshire	Shot	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder
2004	DC	Michael Swindells QGM	West Midlands	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of manslaughter
2005	PC	Sharon Beshenivsky	West Yorkshire	Shot	at crime scene	Murder	conviction of murder
2006	PC	Joseph Carroll	Northumbria	Vehicle Crash	prisoner escort / escape	Manslaughter	conviction of manslaughter
2007	PC	Richard Gray QC	West Mercia	Shot	domestic disturbance	Unlawful Killing	suicide of suspect
2007	PC	Jonathan Henry	Bedfordshire	Stabbed	attempting arrest	Murder	conviction of murder

NOTES

Criminal Acts:

This list includes deaths reported as homicide offences i.e. where there was a charge or inquest verdict of murder or manslaughter (culpable homicide in Scotland) or unlawful killing.

Deaths involving the criminal use of vehicles to evade arrest or stolen vehicles usually result in a homicide offence. Also included are offences of 'causing death by reckless or dangerous driving', where an officer was attempting to stop a vehicle or otherwise engaged on traffic control duties. This offence was established by the Road Traffic Act 1956 prior to which causing death by reckless driving would be charged as manslaughter.

Cases where suspects were not proceeded against or acquitted due to insufficient evidence as to cause of death, or on the grounds of accident or self defence or other grounds where a homicide offence was not substantiated are shown as "acquittal - insufficient evidence of homicide". Such acquittals may not officially be currently recorded as homicide offences.

Cases where suspects are acquitted due to insufficient evidence of their involvement in a homicide offence are shown as "unsolved - suspect(s) acquitted". Such acquittals would remain recorded as homicide.

The list does not include deaths that occurred over a year after an injury was inflicted or other cases where death may have resulted from criminal assaults but there was no charge or inquest verdict of homicide. It does not include causing death by reckless or dangerous driving, or motor manslaughter, arising out of road traffic accidents where an officer was on routine patrol and not engaged in any duty relating to the accident.

Rank Abbreviations:-

Gallantry Awards:

A - Acting,
ACC - Assistant Ch/C,
C - Constable,
Ch - Chief,
D - Detective,
Expo - Explosives Officer (civilian staff),
I(nsp) - Inspector,
P - Police,
PWR - Police War Reserve,
R - Reserve,
S - Special,
Sgt - Sergeant,
St - Station,
Supt - Superintendent,
T - Temporary,
W - Woman.

(In order of precedence)
GC - George Cross
GM - George Medal
KPM - King's Police Medal
QPM - Queen's Police Medal
QGM - Queen's Gallantry Medal
KC - King's Commendation for Brave Conduct
QC - Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct

KC/QC is not an official post-nominal use but is used here so as to include all Sovereign's bravery awards.

Method: / = and/or
"Beaten" includes hitting, kicking, struggle etc.,
"Bludgeoned" includes use of any blunt instrument,
"Stabbed" includes use of any sharp instrument,
"Stoned" includes any thrown stone or similar missile,
"D/Driving" includes reckless/dangerous/drunk driving.

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Criteria for Inclusion

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Page updated 8 September 2009

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Police Homicides

Great Britain since 1900

Police Officers of England, Scotland and Wales reported killed in the line of duty by criminal acts showing method of killing, incident type and court result or other outcome.

Police Officers of England, Scotland and Wales reported killed in the line of duty by
criminal acts showing method of killing, incident type and court result or other outcome.