Murder probe after police officer mown down in high speed chase

A murder investigation was launched Monday in Liverpool after burglars fleeing a crime scene in a stolen car hit and killed a police officer.

The stolen car was being chased at high speed by police patrols along dockside roads in the Wallasey suburb.

Police liaison officers have broken the news to the dead officer's family and are comforting them. The incident followed an early morning raid on a real estate office.

Merseyside Police said in a statement the burglars were driving at high speed and mounted a roadside kerb to avoid a "vehicle trap" set up by two police officers.

The car struck one of the officers and escaped at high speed, and was found abandoned some kilometres away.

Colleagues desperately tried to save the male officer, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Major road closures caused morning hold-ups for workers.

Deaths of police officers on duty in Britain are relatively rare. Endit