'Shocking' attempted murder of police officer in Scunthorpe 'shooting' as man arrested

A 29-year-old man has been arrested and remains in police custody following the incident - which involved a plain clothed police officer - on Glebe Road, Scunthorpe at around 1.15pm on Monday.

Humberside Police Assistant Chief Constable, Chris Noble, said: “Understandably, an incident of this nature will come as a shock to local residents and the local community, and indeed to the police service.

"In response to community concerns, we have had an active presence in this area for a number of months now, and our commitment to proactive policing of crime will progress, undeterred. Our ongoing crime fighting initiative, Operation Galaxy, tackles organised criminality head on. Our priority is to ensure our communities feel safe and protected so we continue to invest in specialist staff and equipment to ensure that is the case.

“Local residents will continue to see a heightened presence in the area over the coming weeks as our officers and staff conduct enquiries, provide reassurance, listen to any concerns and engage with and support the community following yesterday’s incident.

“Although this incident is extremely serious, I would like to reassure members of the public that incidents of this nature in the Humberside police area are extremely rare.

“Our officers and staff remain dedicated to protecting members of the public, often placing themselves in dangerous situations and putting their own safety at risk to achieve this. Humberside Police has and will continue to provide support for the officer and our wider police family, as they come to terms with the events of yesterday.”

The officer was not injured following the incident.

Mr Noble said taking weapons off the streets remains an "absolute priority" for the force. He urged anyone who has information in relation to illegal weapons to contact police.

Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison described the incident as "shocking".

He said: "My thoughts are with the officer concerned. Our police officers and staff put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis and this attack highlights the dangers they can face when working to keep us all safe. I am reassured that this is an isolated incident and grateful to the officers who arrested the man involved.”