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Police officers believe that an urgent review of the arrest and search protocols used when arresting suspects is needed, following the fatal shooting of Sergeant Matiu Ratana.
As the metropolitan police and the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) launch investigations into the death of the popular 54-year-old custodial sergeant, questions remain about how it happened.
The suspect, apparently a 23-year-old autistic man of Sri Lankan origin, was arrested by regular officers after a stop and search after he was seen behaving strangely. His hands were handcuffed behind his back and he was taken to Croydon Police Station in a police vehicle. The IOPC has said that he sat in a detention area in the custody suite, then shot Ratana while he was still handcuffed as officers prepared to search him with a metal detector.
One officer said Ratana’s death was “heartbreaking” for those who made the arrest and conducted the original body search. “The problem is, if someone has a gun, let’s say it’s a small gun, just a normal guy, if he sticks it in the back of his back, in his pants, in general, a cursory search in the streets. is not going to pick that up, “he said. “The police are accused of being too intrusive on the street, so they handcuff people for safety, return them to custody where a more detailed search can be carried out. That process probably needs to change now. “
The suspect, who had been arrested for possession of class B drugs with the intent to supply and possess ammunition, is believed to have shot Ratana multiple times in the heart. It then shot up during the incident in the early hours of Friday. He is in critical but stable condition in hospital.
Detectives are conducting investigations at four locations in London and Surrey, where detailed searches are underway.
No police firearms were fired and the case is not being treated as terrorism-related, the Met said. However, reports suggested that the man had previously been referred to the anti-extremism program Prevent.
The IOPC obtained CCTV footage from the custody center, as well as video footage of the officers present in the body. Accounts will also be taken from these officials.
Sal Naseem, IOPC Regional Director, said: “A firearm that is not for police use, which appears to be a revolver, has been recovered from the scene. More ballistic work will be required. “
Ratana is the eighth UK police officer to be shot dead in the past 20 years.
Sir Peter Fahy, a former Greater Manchester Police Chief, told the BBC that the circumstances surrounding the death appeared to be “incredibly unusual.”
“There are procedures to register prisoners before they are taken to police stations in vans or cars; they are re-registered when they arrive at police stations and there are additional procedures due to the detection of Covid, ”Fahy said.
“It will be important to get out of the circumstances fairly quickly, to see if there is anything that can be learned about it.”
