Killing of Matiu Ratana

Matiu Ratana (c. 1966 – 25 September 2020) was a New Zealand-born British police sergeant who was shot dead inside a police custody facility in London on 25 September 2020. He was nearing retirement having served in the Metropolitan Police for nearly 30 years when he became the first police officer to be fatally shot in the UK since the murders of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone in 2012.

Killing of Matiu Ratana
Croydon Custody Centre, scene of the shooting
Date25 September 2020
LocationCroydon, London, United Kingdom
TypeShooting

Background

Ratana was born in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand and was of Māori descent. He moved to England in 1989, working for the Metropolitan Police for nearly 30 years.[1] Ratana had also served with New Zealand Police joining the British High Commission Wing in 2003 and serving in the Auckland City and Counties Manukau police districts before returning to the UK in 2008.[2]

Incident

On the morning of 25 September 2020, a 23-year-old man was arrested for drugs offences and possession of ammunition and taken to the Croydon Custody Centre in a police vehicle.[3] Approaching the suspect to carry-out a temperature check for COVID-19 infection, Ratana was shot in the chest.[4] He was taken to hospital, where he died from gunshot wounds. The suspect was also shot and taken to hospital with critical injuries. There is speculation that he shot himself, but this has not been confirmed. No police firearms were discharged during the incident. A non-police firearm, which appears to be a revolver, was recovered from the scene. The suspect was in handcuffs during the incident, with his hands behind his back.

Investigation

The background of the suspect is being investigated by authorities. The suspect had previously been referred to the Prevent programme, an anti-extremism programme developed by the government in an attempt to prevent individuals from joining extremist groups and carrying out terrorist activities.[1] Several crime scenes were established, a cordon was put in place around the Anderson Heights block of flats in Norbury, and a controlled explosion took place in one of the crime scenes in Banstead, Surrey.[5]

The suspect, aged 23, was arrested on 13 November 2020 on suspicion of murdering a police officer, when he was considered well enough though still requiring hospital treatment.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Four crime scenes linked to fatal police shooting". BBC News. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. "NZ Police acknowledges death of Sergeant Matiu Ratana". New Zealand Police.
  3. "Croydon police station shooting suspect named". BBC News. 27 September 2020.
  4. "Suspected killer of Kiwi-born officer, Matiu Ratana, probed by UK police for extremist background". nzherald.co.nz. 27 September 2020.
  5. "'Explosion' during fatal police shooting searches". BBC News. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  6. "Croydon police shooting: Man arrested over Sgt Matt Ratana murder". BBC News. 13 November 2020.
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