‘Darkest day’ leaves officers in shock at killings

Police have been hunting for Dale Cregan since the murder of Mark Short, 31, in Droylsden earlier this year.

The amateur boxer was shot in the neck at the Cotton Tree pub on May 25 after a gunman walked in and opened fire. Three other men were shot in the attack and received leg and back injuries.

On August 10, the body of Mark’s 46-year-old father David Short, was found at his house in the Clayton area of Greater Manchester.

Officers had been called to the address in Folkestone Road East after reports of gunfire and discovered his body. A grenade had also been detonated at the scene.

Less than 10 minutes later, the force received reports that shots had been fired at a second house, in Luke Road, Droylsden, where detectives believe another grenade was detonated. Nobody was injured in that incident, however.

The grenades used in the attacks were traced as military weapons from the former Yugoslavia.

Four men have already been charged in connection with Mark Short’s murder and are due to enter pleas at Manchester Crown Court in November.

A 33-year-old man has appeared at Manchester Crown Court charged with the gun and grenade murder of David Short.

The force has claimed finding Cregan has been “a top priority” for months, with wanted posters of the one-eyed suspected double murderer, who wears a false black onyx eye, displayed throughout the region and a £50,000 reward offered for information.

Officers have conducted up to 50 armed raids over the summer, with some in West Yorkshire.

Manchester Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said he believed Cregan had been “protected” by a gangland conspiracy and yesterday pledged to bring those involved “to book”.

He said he was not aware that Cregan had contacted police during the manhunt or had made threats, but there had been “concern” he could strike out at police.

Officers believe Cregan had stayed in the house in Abbey Gardens, Hattersley, overnight on Monday, and yesterday morning made a call – or had somebody else make it – reporting a burglary.

As the address was not known to the force, the two unarmed female officers were sent to the scene as a routine call.

Their murders has reignited the debate over whether officers should be armed, with the twin of Pc David Rathband, who was shot and blinded while on duty by Raoul Moat in July 2010, calling for a change in policy.

Darren Rathband, formerly of Staffordshire Police and now serving in South Australia, said: “It beggars belief. How many officers need to die before the powers realise that it is the 21st century and you cannot fight crime with an outdated piece of plastic and a bit of spray.”

But Sir Peter said his force believed “passionately” that police should remain unarmed, adding: “Sadly we know from the experience in America and other countries, that having armed officers certainly does not mean, sadly, that police officers do not end up getting shot.”

West Yorkshire Police said the shootings had reopened the wounds of the murder of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky and shooting of Pc Teresa Milburn in a gun raid at a Bradford travel agents in 2005.

Chief Superintendent Andy Brennan, a former Greater Manchester Police officer who was in charge of that investigation, said: “West Yorkshire Police would like to offer our sincere condolences to the families and the colleagues of the two Greater Manchester Police Officers who were fatally injured in the line of duty today.

“Thankfully incidents of this tragic nature are rare. Having been through a number of incidents in recent years, we know that our colleagues in Greater Manchester Police will work tirelessly and sensitively with the officers’ families and their colleagues to help them through this extremely sad time.”

Jon Christopher, vice-chair of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “Our hearts go out to the families and colleagues of everybody involved. A lot of officers are still traumatised from what happened in 2005.”