COMMENT:
"Officer down".
That terrible expression is something that no police officer ever wants to hear.
When it does happen and a police officer is killed on duty it has an enormous impact on us all. When I say 'us all' I mean every member of the police and includes every former and retired member as well.
When I heard that Constable Matthew Hunt had been murdered in the line of duty on Friday I was driving my car and the reaction was instant and involuntary. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Instant grief and fear.