Officers and civilian staff from Cambridgeshire Constabulary have paid tribute to the Metropolitan police sergeant shot dead in the early hours of this morning.

The Hunts Post: Officers and staff at Cambridgeshire police pay tribute to Met colleague.Officers and staff at Cambridgeshire police pay tribute to Met colleague. (Image: Archant)

This afternoon officers and staff from across the force came together to pay their respects to their fallen Metropolitan Police Service colleague with a minute’s silence.

“An awfully sad day for the policing family,” said a post on the Cambridgeshire Constabulary website.

According to media reports, the long-serving police officer was shot dead at Croydon Custody Centre in south London.

The male sergeant was shot in the chest before the suspect turned the firearm on himself.

The man had been brought to the custody suite in a police vehicle and the shooting happened as he was being questioned.

A minute’s silence has been held for the officer described by the Met Police as a “much-loved colleague”.

The victim, who has not been named, is thought to have been a few weeks away from retirement and was described as “one of a kind” by a colleague.

The suspect remains critically ill in hospital and a murder investigation has been launched.