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A man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm following the fatal shooting of a police officer in a custody suite.
Sergeant Matt Ratana died in hospital after being shot at the Croydon Custody Center in South London in the early hours of Friday.
The arrest took place in Norwich around 2am this morning and the suspect is currently being held at a South London police station.
Tributes have been paid to the sergeant and the rugby coach
Meanwhile, the suspect in the shooting remains in critical condition at the hospital and officers investigating the killing say they have not yet been able to speak with him.
Sergeant Ratana, 54, was allegedly attacked by a man who had been handcuffed and, according to investigators, he shot himself.
Friends and teammates of the officer, who was a popular coach at the East Grinstead Rugby Club, have gathered to pay tribute to him.
There were two periods of silence, for the junior and senior members, and the club’s flag was flown alongside the New Zealand flag and the All Blacks rugby team flag to honor Sergeant Ratana’s roots.
Ryan Morlen, the club’s assistant coach, said news of his death “will take time to process.”
She said: “It’s really difficult with the loss of Matt, he’s an irreplaceable figure. The club here, from juniors, seniors, to the women’s team, will really miss Matt.
“As a community, he brought a lot of things together. I spoke to Matt every day … and there are thousands of people who really admired him.”
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick placed a wreath to commemorate the National Police Memorial Day
Dame Cressida Dick with Interior Minister Priti Patel
There was also a wreath ceremony at the National Police Monument in central London, which was attended by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Dame Cressida described him as an “extraordinary person”, adding: “He had a wonderful personality and was very good at his job.”
She said the death of Sergeant Ratana brings home the challenges of police work.
She said: “If anything good can come out of this terrible incident … it would be that more people can understand a little about the challenges of policing.
“And seeing the police for who we are: human beings, working to help people, support people and protect people.
“Matt was the epitome of that.”
