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 following incident an early morning raid on a real estate office.

This afternoon the victim was identified as a 34-year-old married father of two: Police Constable David Phillips, who joined the force in 2006.

Sir Jon Murphy, chief constable of Merseyside, said at his Liverpool headquarters that Phillips was a highly competent, popular and highly-regarded policeman. The police chief described it as an "incredibly sad day for Merseyside Police."

Phillips is the first Merseyside officer to die in the line of duty for 34 years. Police said the officer lived with wife Jen and their two daughters Abigail, 7, and Sophie, 3.

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 across the road by two police officers. The car struck one of the officers and escaped at high speed, and was found abandoned some kilometers 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.

Merseyside police federation spokesman Peter Singleton describing it as a desolate day for the force, adding the officer's colleagues were devastated.

Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said it was "a sad day when you lose one of your own."

Meanwhile, a massive manhunt is underway across the region to track down the killers. Chief constable Murphy appealed for help from the public, saying he was confident of catching the people responsible. Endit