Police Confident in Investigation of Policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky's Murder

Strategic Insights -

Police detectives are confident that a silver 4x4 vehicle seen leaving a robbery scene in Bradford last Friday was the same vehicle involved in the murder of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky and her colleague, PC Teresa Milburn. The investigation has turned to London after the registration plate of the getaway car was captured by one of 27 remote-controlled digital cameras in Bradford linked to a national database of vehicles. Six suspects, including four Somalis, are undergoing further police questioning in Yorkshire, while hundreds of officers from the West Yorkshire and Metropolitan police forces are working in tandem in London to find others who might have been involved in the raid.

Key Takeaways:

  • The police are confident that the silver 4x4 vehicle seen leaving the robbery scene in Bradford was the same vehicle involved in the murder of PC Beshenivsky and PC Milburn.
  • Six suspects, including four Somalis, are undergoing further police questioning in Yorkshire.
  • Hundreds of officers from the West Yorkshire and Metropolitan police forces are working in tandem in London to find others who might have been involved in the raid.
  • The registration plate of the getaway car was captured by one of 27 remote-controlled digital cameras in Bradford linked to a national database of vehicles.
  • Eyewitnesses described seeing armed police storm a flat on Saturday minutes after a group of Somali men had driven up at speed, sprinted up a staircase and disappeared inside.
  • The first arrests occurred five hours earlier after two police vehicles approached an occupied silver 4x4 at speed.
  • A Somali man and white woman were arrested at 7am on Saturday, 16 hours after the shooting.
  • A further three Somali men were arrested in a flat at 12.15pm, and an Asian man was arrested on the Saturday evening.
  • Five of the six are in their 20s, and a sixth suspect is in his early 30s.
  • All the foreign nationals have been granted British citizenship.
  • PC Beshenivsky's family is being supported by the police, with her father, Billy Jagger, laying a bouquet among the floral tributes to the officer.
  • PC Beshenivsky's senior officer described her death as the "worst nightmare" for a police chief.

Statistics:

  • 27 remote-controlled digital cameras in Bradford are linked to a national database of vehicles.
  • Hundreds of officers were mobilised, including specialist CO19 firearms teams, members of the armed Flying Squad unit, territorial support group officers, and detectives from the specialist crime directorate.
  • PC Beshenivsky was killed by a bullet which penetrated her armoured vest and hit her in the chest within 120 seconds of reaching the Universal Express travel agency.
  • The police have arrested six suspects, including four Somalis, in connection with the murder.
  • Five of the six suspects are in their 20s, and a sixth suspect is in his early 30s.

Sources:

  • Ian Herbert, Detectives investigating the death of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky are confident that a silver 4x4 vehicle seen leaving a robbery scene in Bradford last Friday was the same vehicle involved in her murder.
  • The police raids which resulted in the arrest of the six suspects on Saturday came after a huge deployment of Scotland Yard officers.
  • Ian Herbert, Eyewitnesses described seeing armed police storm a flat on Saturday minutes after a group of Somali men had driven up at speed, sprinted up a staircase and disappeared inside.
  • The Observer, Hundreds of officers were mobilised, including specialist CO19 firearms teams, members of the armed Flying Squad unit, territorial support group officers, and detectives from the specialist crime directorate.
  • The Guardian, PC Beshenivsky was killed by a bullet which penetrated her armoured vest and hit her in the chest within 120 seconds of reaching the Universal Express travel agency.