Reward offered for capture of police killer
A GBP25,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the killer of a Leeds policeman.
The News of the World, film producer Michael Winner and the Victims of Crime Trust have announced the joint reward for help in catching the gunman.
West Yorkshire Police are still hunting for the man who shot dead Pc Ian Broadhurst, a 34-year-old married man, gunned down on Boxing Day in Leeds after he stopped a stolen car.
Work colleague, Neil Roper, from Wakefield, was seriously injured in the incident.
Police will interview the 45-year-old father-of-two when his condition improves.
The wounded PC had an operation in hospital in Leeds. His injuries were said to be not life-threatening.
Police say the gunman is “exceptionally dangerous.”
Detective Superintendent Chris Gregg of West Yorkshire Police: “The man who did this is highly dangerous. To say that everyone in the force is shocked and saddened is a huge understatement.
“We are determined to hunt down the person responsible for the murder of an officer who was routinely going about his duties with a colleague.”
The shooting took place after the two traffic policemen spotted a stolen BMW parked partly on the pavement beside a post office in Roundhay, Leeds.
The police officers – after discovering the vehicle had false number plates – escorted the driver to their police car, placing him in the back seat.
But as Pc Roper opened the back door to handcuff the suspect, the assailant produced a pistol and shot each policeman several times.
The man then ran down the street firing at random and hijacked another car, a Rover, registration L410 PMB.
The gunman is described as a white male aged 30 to 40, with a stocky build, dark hair and a “tanned or olive-skinned” complexion.
Jan Berry, the chairwoman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “This tragedy highlights the growing dangers police officers can face every day when serving their local communities.
“Our thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues.”
But Tom McGhie, spokesman for the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said he opposed the total arming of police.
Mr McGhie said: “I don’t think that the level of gun crime in Leeds and West Yorkshire warrants the permanent arming of all police officers.”
Tory home office affairs spokesman David Davis warned last night that “illegal guns have never been more available.”
Last month, the Tory MP said he favoured the death penalty for “clearly premeditated and cold blooded murder.”
The sentiment was shared by Keith Hellawell, the government’s former drugs tsar, who told the BBC:
“We ought to make it clear to people if you shoot a police officer you are going to hang if you are convicted.
